The process of verbal communication is often conceptualised by way of metaphors. The dominant metaphor is the conduit metaphor which considers communication as the transfer of ideas from the brain of the speaker/writer to the brain of the hearer/reader. The metaphor is inadequate for the majority of situations in which we have to use and understand language. It totally excludes the possibility that meaning, rather than residing in a text, is a product of an interaction between text, text producer, and text receiver. Alternative communication metaphors are being discussed and evaluated in the light of the comprehension processes. (John Taylor)