Metaphoric Interpretations of Comparison-Based Combinations

Three experiments demonstrate that the interpretation of comparison-based combinations (e.g., "trumpet voice") is influenced by the same factors that influence the processing of metaphors (e.g., "Some voices are trumpets"). Specifically, aptness (the degree to which a statement expresses important features of the topic), expectancy (whether the meaning corresponds to a semantic dimension that is highly expected in the head noun, i.e., voice), and salience (whether the attributed property is frequently associated with the modifier, i.e., trumpet) affected comprehensibility ratings and comprehension times. Increased aptness led to greater ease in comprehending combined concepts. High salience aided comprehension regardless of level of expectancy. In contrast, high expectancy aided comprehension only when salience was high. The results support the Competition Among Relations In Nominals (CARIN) theory of conceptual combination (Gagné2000; Gagné Shoben, 1997).