ABSTRACT
Imagine you are a linguist looking for a job. You search the internet and come across one ad posted by a private company in California that is ‘seeking native linguists with strong language skills and in tune with their culture.’ The ad goes on to list various requirements for the position, including educational background, previous work experience, and different personal attributes, explicitly stating, ‘The ability to juggle chainsaws (nice to have) with a good sense of humor will be ideal.’ Do you understand what is meant by ‘the ability to juggle chainsaws’? Of course, this phrase is not meant literally, but refers metaphorically to the idea of being able to deal with many difficult tasks at the same time. How do people come to a metaphorical understanding of the ‘juggle chainsaws’ phrase exactly when they read it? Our aim in this chapter is to explore some of the complexities associated with people’s processing of metaphorical language.
