The Routledge Handbook of Language and Metaphor provides a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research on metaphor and language, and maps out future directions of research and practice in a variety of contexts in this field.

Introduction: Metaphor and languageSection 1: Theoretical approaches to metaphor in language 1. Conceptual metaphor theory2. Figurativeness, conceptual metaphor and blending3. Relevance theory and metaphor4. Metaphor, language, and dynamical systemsSection 2: Methodological approaches to metaphor in language5. Identifying metaphors in language6. Finding systematic metaphors7. From linguistic to conceptual metaphors8. Corpus-linguistic approaches to metaphor analysis9. Analysing metaphor in gesture: A set of metaphor identification guidelines for gesture (MIG-G)10. Analysing metaphors in multimodal textsSection 3: Formal variation of metaphor in language11. Metaphor and parts-of-speech12. Textual patterning of metaphor13. Genre and metaphor: use and variation across usage events14. Creative metaphor in literature15. Conventional and novel metaphors in language16. Metaphor and diachronic variation17. Metaphor in translation18. Metaphor in Sign languageSection 4: Functional variation of metaphor in language19. Metaphor use in educational contexts: functions and variations20. Metaphor and the representation of scientific issues: climate change in print and online news21. Metaphor and persuasion in politics22. Metaphor and persuasion in commercial advertising23. Metaphor and story-telling24. Metaphor, impoliteness, and offence in online communicationSection 5: Applications/Interventions: using metaphor for problem solving 25. Using metaphor in healthcare: mental health26. Using metaphor in healthcare: physical health27. Using metaphor as a management tool28. Using metaphor in the teaching of second/foreign languages29. Using metaphor for peace-building, empathy, and reconciliation30. Using metaphor to influence public perceptions and policy: Or, how metaphors can save the worldSection 6: Language, metaphor and cognitive development 31. Metaphor processing32. Psycholinguistic approaches to metaphor acquisition and use33. Metaphor acquisition and use in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders34. Metaphor comprehension and production in a second language35. Metaphors for language and communication

"The Routledge Handbook of Metaphor and Language provides a comprehensive and authoritative overview of interdisciplinary knowledge of metaphor. Bringing together work from a wide range of reputed scholars of metaphor it displays a well-conceived balance between theory, methodology and application. As well as offering practical insights into the methodology of metaphor researchers it is testimony to the continuing fascination that metaphor holds for those interested in exploring the complex relationship between language, cognition and the role of language in the construction of the social world."Jonathan Charteris-Black, University of the West of England, UK"For technical communicators who have an interest in language and how it works, this Handbook would be a valuable asset. ... Students, in technical communication classes and other language classes, as well as their faculty, will also find value in the Handbook." Tom Warren, Oklahoma State Universtiy, USA