Metaphors between thought and speech: some notes

This paper aims both to outline some of the issues which characterize metap hor as a cognitive and textual-conversational device, and to introduce the other papers which were delivered at a symposium on Metaphor, held in Turin (Italy), on May 1997. The following crucial points are taken into account: I) metaphor and non-literal meaning; II) metaphor as a cognitive process; III) functions of metaphor; IV) understanding and misunderstanding metaphor ; V) linguistic forms of metaphor.