Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Department of Applied Linguistics and English Language Dissertations as a Second Language 4-30-2018 Beyond Literal Meaning: Linguistic And Cognitive Features Of Figurative Language Processing And Production STEPHEN SKALICKY Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/alesl_diss Recommended Citation SKALICKY, STEPHEN, "Beyond Literal Meaning: Linguistic And Cognitive Features Of Figurative Language Processing And Production." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2018. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/alesl_diss/44 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. BEYOND LITERAL MEANING: LINGUISTIC AND COGNITIVE FEATURES OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE PROCESSING AND PRODUCTION by STEPHEN SKALICKY Under the Direction of Scott Crossley, PhD ABSTRACT Figurative language, such as metaphor and irony, has been studied by researchers in a wide variety of fields for the past several decades. A primary goal of this research has been to determine the processes underlying figurative language comprehension (e.g., how the figurative meaning of a metaphor is processed when compared to its literal meaning). While this research has led to a better understanding of the relation between figurative meaning and surface linguistic form, it has also served to underemphasize other potentially important influences on figurative language use, such as participant individual differences (e.g., cognitive ability, language background), linguistic features (e.g., lexical sophistication), and affective perceptions (e.g., humorous reactions).