5 Things You Didn't Know About The Cognitive Processing Of Figurative Language

Though the literal may be the rudimentary, skin and bones of human communication, what would language be without abstraction? The vividness and versatility of our vernacular undoubtedly arises from our linguistic palette of metaphorical phrases. What are the neuroanatomical foundations for the brain's differentiation between the literal and the nonliteral? Why do we comprehend these utterances differently, and what are the implications of this difference for the study of cognitive science?

So, how should we feel about metaphor?

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1. Neuroscientific studies have concluded that nonliteral (i.e. metaphorical, ironic, or idiomatic utterances) are more emotionally salient than their literal counterparts. Parts of the anterior hippocampus and amygdala (among other regions in the brain that will be discussed further) are implicated in emotional processing, as well as in the processing of abstract language.

The same, but different

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~Salience changing the playing field~

2. The Same: Speed

Scientists have discerned no difference in speeds between the brain's response times at comprehending metaphorical and ironic utterances versus literal ones.

A brief foray into a different paradigm for looking at cognitive linguistics:

Despite any similarities between the processing of literal and nonliteral stimuli, there are unquestionably differences in how the brain comprehends different varieties of language--particularly the manner in which it differentiates between language that is familiar or unfamiliar. A study conducted by Rachel Giora in 1999 maps onto her "Graded Salience Hypothesis," which illustrates that when a familiar metaphor is processed, the literal meaning is activated as well.

Salience is contingent upon the lexicalized meaning of a word, and encapsulates both its abstract and literal implications. Higher salience correlates with higher lexical retrievability/accessibility, and well as familiarity. Metaphors that are more familiar have both literal and metaphoric salient meanings. Thus, Giora's ideas are relevant for understanding elements of the comprehension of both concrete and figurative language.

Where can we find metaphor in the brain?

Via ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

3. When examining meta-analyses of fMRI scans, it becomes clear that the brain's processing of nonliteral language can be localized to specific regions. A multitude of studies have indicated that metaphor is processed through a predominantly left-lateralized network, that consists of the left and right inferior frontal gyrus, as well as the middle and superior temporal gyrus. Studies have also implicated the involvement of numerous parietal regions. When a metaphorical utterance is processed, there is notable engagement of the left superior temporal regions.

Despite the fact that language is lateralized to the left hemisphere, abstract language has elicited bihemispheric activation. Fascinatingly, additional studies have demonstrated that that activation in the right hemisphere is increased for nonliteral stimuli in comparison to literal.

A specific area that has been found to be implicated in metaphor across various studies is processing is the aIPL (anterior inferior parietal lobule), which is important for the perception of emotions in facial stimuli, as well as the interpretation of various sensory information, language, and body image.

Shades of Abstraction : Irony vs Metaphor

scienceblogs.com

4. First off, what are important differences between irony and metaphor, two commonly used types of figurative language?

Metaphor underscores the relationship between the propositional form of an utterance and the coinciding thought that it represents, whereas irony is arguably more interpretive and complex, and involves both the thoughts of the speaker and another individual. Interestingly, scientists have discerned that the brain's ability to comprehend metaphor develops before its ability to comprehend irony. Through examining fMRI scans, neuroscientists have also determined that metaphoric utterances resulted in higher levels of activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus as well as in the bilateral inferior temporal cortex than either ironic or literal statements. Ironic statements, on the other hand, elicited the highest activation levels in the right superior and middle temporal gyri.

Looking instead to Neuropsychology

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5. The comprehension of figurative language can also be examined through a neuropsychological lens. In a study performed by scientists Eviatar and Just, there is an extensive discussion of the way in which lesions in the right hemisphere damage the comprehension of irony more than metaphor, whereas lesions in the left hemisphere impair metaphor comprehension more than irony. This demonstrates complex neural substrates underlying abstract language processing.

Lesion studies have also helped to confirm the notion that the processing of figurative language is dependent upon interhemispheric integration of higher-order processing.