Beyond the Literal

This chapter examines the assumption that literal meanings are functionally primary: are they, as opposed to figurative meanings, processed automatically, and are they processed more quickly? Experimental evidence is adduced to show that, like literally intended expressions, metaphors and idioms are processed automatically, i.e., in an obligatory fashion. Furthermore, metaphors are processed in parallel with literal language when both kinds of meanings are available. Even the time-course of interpretation is the same for literal and metaphorical expressions. The primacy of the literal can be clearly rejected.