ABSTRACT
At the end of Chapter 1 we introduced the two clines of Marking and Explicitness. Taken jointly these two clines stretch from explicit literal comparison to inexplicit metaphor. Chapter 6 discussed how metaphors can be marked by simile and other markers of comparison (Table 6.1, stage III). This chapter deals with one aspect of explicitness-how the indeterminacy or openendedness of metaphorical meaning can be diminished by explicitly specifying the Topic (Table 6.1, stage IV (p. 168)). It attempts two main things: first, to give an overview of the syntactic resources available; and second, to demonstrate how the syntactic choices made, with their options for ordering and clausal ranking of V-term and T-term, and so on, will affect the interpretations of metaphors; specifically, how lexical metaphor will impinge on grammar by introducing or enhancing ambiguities in the meanings of syntax.
