EXTENDED AND TRANSFERRED MEANING :Metaphor and Metonymy

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EXTENDED AND TRANSFERRED MEANING Metaphor and
Metonymy

• Shelley dreamed it. Now the dream decays.
• The props crumble. The familiar ways
• Are stale tears trodden underfoot.
• The hearts flower withers at the root.
• Bury it, then, in historys sterile dust.
• The slow years shall tame your tawny lust.
• (Song at the Yearss Turning by R.S Thomas )

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Cultural Meanings transmitted by

• Classification of words kinship terminologies
• Focal meaning and prototypesThe best example of
  a word
• Processes of semantic transfer and and extension
  metaphors and metonymies

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Metaphors

• Unspecified comparisons between entities sharing
  some features animal (lion) and human
• Metaphor an implied comparison between entity or
  event and another based on their sharing certain
  referential attributes. Metaphors highlight
  features of similarity between different entities.

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ANGER IS HEAT and BODY IS CONTAINER FOR EMOTIONS

• You make my blood boil.
• She got all steamed up.
• He's just blowing off steam.
• He erupted.
• He boiled over.
• He exploded

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BELIEFS are POSSESSIONS and IDEAS are OBJECTS

• I hold certain beliefs.
• He has strong beliefs.
• He clings to his beliefs
• Don't give up your beliefs.

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Recurring Metaphors

• Our conceptual system metaphorical in nature
• We think and speak conceptual metaphorical
  models

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Metaphorical Concept Time is Money

• She spends her time unwisely.
• The diversion should buy him some time.
• You dont use your time profitably.
• How do you spend your time these days?
• This gadget will save you hours.

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Orientational opposition up and down

• Up Down
• EmotionsYoure in high spirits. Hes feeling low
  today.
• Consciousness Wake up! She sank into a coma.
• Health Hes in top shape. Her heath is
  declining.
• Control Im on top of the situation. He fell
  from power.
• Status Shell rise to the top. Hes at the
  bottom of society

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Lineal Metaphors

• to set the record straight
• to straighten up, etc
• Keeping to the straight and narrow (positive,
  indicates honesty)
• Wandering from the path (negative, indicates
  untruthfulness)

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Container images metaphors

• transfers non-physical, non-tangible entities or
  processes into objects
• Hes out of his mind.
• Shes in love.
• I feel under the whether

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Do metaphorical processes occur cross-culturally?

• In Navajo Many events are described with verbs
  that have the theme of movement as their focal
  meaning.
• one dresses one moves into clothing
• one lives one moves about here and there
• one is young one moves about newly
• to sing to move words out of an enclosed
  space

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Metaphors of movement in English

• Less crucial for cultural meaning
• She followed in her mothers' footsteps.
• The business was about to take flight.
• His head was spinning with excitement.

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Personification Metaphors

• personification (Latin persona "character",
  "person").
• It occurs in many languages
• Non-human entity is identified with a human one
  or given human characteristics.
• Cricket has been good to me.
• The New Zealand dollar had a quiet month.
• Life dealt him a heavy blow.

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METONYMY

• A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is
  substituted for another with which it is closely
  associated
• highlight one aspect of an entity while by
  singling out one of its attributes
• Example We need more arms in here. (arms for
  people)

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Metonymic entity associations

• part of an object to substitute or represent the
  whole Our company needs more brains.
• Producer for the object produced She likes to
  read Thomas Hardy.
• Object used or owned by someone for the
  user/owner The 54 Chevy lives around the
  corner.

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METAPHORS OF KINSHIP

• Common in many languages
• Metaphorically refer to non-relatives
• Express intimacy
• Extended to plants and animals
• Navajo mother extended to earth, agricultural
  fields, corn, sheep

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Complex semantic transfers (Kannada Language in
India)

• 1st any adult women adult women assumed to be
  married, assumed to be mothers
• 2nd to Goddesses like mothers can be benevolent
  and punitive
• 3rd Metonymically the word Amma can mean
  smallpox association of some goddesses with the
  cause and cure of the disease.

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METAPHORS OF THE BODY

• To describe actions, states or to label inanimate
  objects
• Could you give me a hand with these boxes? action
• It is very important for us all to put our heads
  together. action
• Can you keep an eye on things here until I get
  back? action

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Or expressions such as

• The backbone of society, The bowels of society.
• Spies are the eyes and ears of a society
• The seat of emotions e.g. heart vs. head Being
  in the midst of something
• Getting to the heart of the matter.
• More rarely, as a metaphor for will e.g.
• He doesnt have the heart to go on, his heart
  isnt in it.

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Summary

• symbolic content of language expressed in both
  metaphoric and metonymic extensions and transfer
• Metaphor is Understanding and experiencing one
  kind of thing (anger or beliefs) in terms of
  another Time is money
• Metonymy A process of replacing one entity with
  another related entity

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Why do we need to understand metaphors and
metonymies?

• Learn about relationship between speaker and
  their physical and social environments
• Learn about cultural priorities
• Learning about cultural models

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Study Question

• What is the difference between metaphor and
  metonymy? What are their functions in language
  and in culture?