ABSTRACT
We live by metaphors, it has been said. Metaphors represent a way to make sense of our environment: hence they are truly ecological tools. Still, just as with any other tool, the litmus test of a metaphor is in its use; depending on the context in which the metaphor is used, and on the way it is used, this use can be good or bad. Some bad metaphors deal with the world in ways that are not conducive to our common welfare, or they may be used to cover up a person’s questionable or even reprehensible behavior (‘It’s just locker-room talk’). Other metaphors make us see the world in a different, better light (‘You are my sunshine’). In the perspective of pragmatics, the import of a metaphor and its true (but often hidden) ecological impact are revealed by such uses. The present contribution endeavors to highlight the Janus-like faces of metaphors and will suggest some practical ways of dealing with them.
