Literalness as a Discursive Effect in Academic Writing
Literalness as a Discursive Effect in Academic Writing

Summary/Abstract: The distinction between literal and figurative meaning has traditionally positioned literal meaning as semantically primary and epistemically reliable, particularly in academic discourse. Cognitive linguistics, however, has demonstrated the pervasive role of conceptual metaphor in structuring abstract and scientific reasoning. This study reconceptualizes literalness not as an inherent semantic property but as a discursive effect emerging within institutionalized academic communication. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of 20 peer-reviewed research articles in medicine and economics (2020–2024), the study examines metaphorical expressions in relation to terminological stabilization, metadiscursive regulation, and interpretative variability. The findings indicate that metaphor remains central to disciplinary conceptualization while undergoing institutional normalization and pragmatic control. Expressions of metaphorical origin frequently function as unmarked technical terms, and explicit markers such as strictly speaking signal active interpretative regulation. Academic objectivity, the study argues, operates through the management rather than the elimination of metaphor, with literalness emerging as a discipline-specific interpretative regime rather than a semantic baseline

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