The Metadiscoursal Functions of Metaphor in Linguistic Discourse

This study offers a comparative analysis of how metaphor is deployed by leading linguists and explores the metadiscoursal functions of metaphor in linguistic discourse, focusing particularly on its use as a multifunctional and implicit metadiscoursal category.  It compares the functions of the metaphorical use of examples and analogies employed in linguistic discourse. Drawing on Hyland (2005) framework of the functions of metadiscourse, the study examines how these theorists utilize metaphors such as language as a mirror, computation, blueprint, and instinct to guide interpretation, facilitate abstraction, and frame linguistic and cognitive phenomena. Metaphor is analyzed not as a literary concept but as a metadiscoursal strategy used systematically in linguistic theorizing. The paper clarifies the source-to-target domain mappings of these metaphors and suggests that metaphor performs functions like framing, explaining and clarifying, asserting claims, and engaging the reader. The study argues that metaphor is a conceptual and rhetorical tool that frames assumptions, guides the reader to the desired interpretation, reinforces theoretical identity and deflects counterargument.