The starting point of DMT lies in the paradox of metaphor, which focuses on the variation in individual comprehension processes in interaction with the variation in the structures and functions of metaphor in language use. This variation has led to new work on metaphor beyond individual cognition, taking us into deliberate and non-deliberate metaphor use in social interaction. There are three new key issues in this area that have been uncovered in recent years.
What looks like the same metaphor in action may be used in different ways, that is, deliberately or non-deliberately, or even with different local analogies. This variation generates different meanings between distinct moments of action within and between people. This is especially so when the metaphor in question is based on polysemy, which causes ambiguity and therefore multivalence of metaphor (which holds true for most metaphor).
The possibility for the multivalence of metaphor is particularly prominent for controversial metaphors that can raise resistance in some language users. We do not live by the same metaphors in the same ways forever: specific metaphors and the way they are used can be deliberately (and sometimes even consciously) resisted. They can then also be altered or replaced, empowering people to take more control over metaphor in action.
As a result of the ambiguity of metaphor, multivalent metaphor use, and resistance to metaphor, metaphorical meaning frequently requires negotiation between discourse participants. How this happens, and how often, is a new question for DMT.