Figurative Language PDF

Figurative Language Introducing Figurative Language • Does figurative language “complicate” our lives? • Would you prefer a world where we always speak directly using literal language? What would it mean to live in a world like that? Who would benefit? • Colston and Gibbs’ argues that figurative...

Figurative Language Introducing Figurative Language • Does figurative language “complicate” our lives? • Would you prefer a world where we always speak directly using literal language? What would it mean to live in a world like that? Who would benefit? • Colston and Gibbs’ argues that figurative language is direct because it demonstrates not just describes. What does this mean? How to we study figurative language comprehension? • Sentence Clarification Tasks • “Is the phrase a meaningful one in English?” • Lexical Decision • Related Targets: Figurative vs. Literal vs. Unrelated • Cross-Modal Lexical Decision • Reading Time • Self-paced • Eye-tracking • Neuro: ERP, fMRI, tcDS, TMS Understanding Idioms Above my deceased carcass (Over my dead body) Dangling with an attachment to a fiber strand (Hanging by a thread) Theories Exploring a Central Question • What is the time course of figurative meaning activation? Tom kicked the bucket yesterday. • Idiom List Hypothesis (Bobrow & Bell, 1973) • Figurative meaning is accessed only after the literal meaning has been computed and rejected • Lexical Representation Hypothesis (Swinney & Cutler, 1979) • Figurative and literal meaning are initially processed simultaneously, but figurative meaning “wins” because idiom meaning is automatically retrieved from lexicon as single lexical entry • Configuration Hypothesis (Cacciari & Tabossi, 1988) • Processing proceeds computationally, like any literal statement, up until an idiom key point, at which point the figurative meaning becomes activated Eye Tracking Methodology First Pass Reading Time (Early): 1, 2, 3, 4 Total Reading Time (Late): 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 7 1 3 8 2 4 5 6 1 Carrol & Littlemore (2020) Factors Influencing Idiom Comprehension Gild the lily • What role does familiarity play? • Processing advantage for more familiar idioms (e.g., Schweigert, 1985), in both early and late reading time measures (Carrol & Littlemore, 2020) • Perceived familiarity facilitates processing of unknown idioms (Carrol & Littlemore, 2020) Get the message Do your homework • What role does idiom decomposability play? • Idiom decomposability: Idioms vary in the degree to which individual word meaning uniquely contributes to the figurative meaning of the phrase • Some evidence suggesting a processing advantage for more decomposable idioms (e.g., Caillies & Butcher, 2007; Titone & Connine, 1999), some evidence suggesting no differences (e.g., Tabossi, Fanari & Wolf, 2008) Factors Influencing Idiom Comprehension • What role does context play? • A limited one, at least in Carrol & Littlemore (2020) • True for online reading measures and post-test idiom meaning identification L1 Idiom L2 Idiom High: Did John and Mary tell you their High: My father has always been a little good news? short-tempered. Low: Did you get a chance to speak to Low: I don’t think you ever really got to John and Mary? know my father. They seem to be over the moon as We know he’s always had hair on his they’ve wanted this for a long time. teeth so watch what you say. Figurative: Shorter total RTs in high context condition than low context condition Literal: Shorter total RTs in high context condition than low context condition Lack of context effect for post-test identification suggests that seeing an unknown idiom in ANY context helps narrow down the likely meaning Understanding Sarcasm Questions to Ponder • What is sarcasm? What characterizes the use of sarcasm? • Is sarcasm easier or more difficult to understand than literal language? Why? • What factors might influence our comprehension of sarcasm? Factors specific to the phrase itself? Contextual or environmental factors? • Are there individual differences that may impact our ability to understand sarcasm? What are they? • How might any of the above impact the pattern of results we’d expect to see in a reading time study? Think About It • What might the time course of figurative activation look like for idioms used sarcastically (e.g., “I’m really batting a thousand today” when everything is going wrong)? Will the pattern of activation and reading times more closely resemble that of idioms or that of sarcasm? What additional factors might be considered?