ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the main proposals that account for potential differences in processing metaphorical and literal language. Three accounts focusing on different variables (i.e., conventionality, aptness, and deliberateness) that might play an important role in how a metaphorical expression is understood are discussed in detail. In the final section, recent research on how conventional metaphorical expressions are processed is discussed. Two studies are presented which explore: (1) meaning dominance, and what it might imply for studies on metaphor processing; and (2) context manipulation through deliberate metaphor markers.
