Not every metaphor in action is a metaphor in action. In fact, one first estimate says that only one in twenty metaphors may genuinely be comprehended as a metaphor. This means that there is a paradox of metaphor.

Deliberate Metaphor Theory (DMT) is a new theory of metaphor that takes this paradox seriously and aims to account for it and resolve it. DMT claims that metaphors work as metaphors when they are meant as metaphors, that is, when they are deliberate. Metaphors are deliberate when they involve an online comparison between unlike things, and lead to actually understanding one thing in terms of something else.

The distinction between deliberate and non-deliberate metaphor is recent. If new research is correct, then most metaphors are not deliberate and do not work as metaphors. In that case, metaphor and metaphorical framing have much less power over our thinking and actions than is currently believed by many.

The distinction also raises new questions about metaphor in action. For instance, speakers or writers may intend to convey a metaphor that is not picked up as such by listeners or readers. Vice versa, listeners or readers may understand something metaphorically that was not intended as such by the speaker or writer. DMT can explain how this can happen.

This website aims to provide an introduction to DMT for academics interested in metaphor (see also bibliography). It is run by Gerard Steen, and contact information for the site can be found here.

Acknowledgments for support are gratefully made to VU University Amsterdam, in particular the Network Institute (Network Institute | The hub for interdisciplinary research on the digital society @VU), and the University of Amsterdam, in particular the ACLC (Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication – ACLC – University of Amsterdam).