SEMANTIC EXTENSION AND THE EVOLUTION OF METAPHOR IN ALAN CRUSE’S MEANING IN LANGUAGE

Abstract

This thesis explores the treatment of semantic extension and metaphor in Meaning in Language: An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics by Alan Cruse. Particular attention is given to Cruse’s classification of meaning extension into naturalized extensions, established extensions, and nonce meanings, as well as his historical overview of metaphor theory. The study situates Cruse’s account within broader developments in twentieth-century linguistics, especially the contributions of I. A. Richards and later cognitive linguists such as George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. By synthesizing semantic and pragmatic perspectives, Cruse provides a framework that explains how figurative language becomes lexicalized and how metaphor operates as both a cognitive and communicative mechanism.