Lexical Expressive Means Items for discussion Metaphor

Lexical Expressive Means Items for discussion: § Metaphor, metonymy, irony § Zeugma and pun § Epithet and oxymoron § Antonomasia § Simile, periphrasis, euphemism, hyperbole

Expressive means or stylistic devices may be genuine and trite. o o When the opposition is clearly perceived and both indicated meanings are simultaneously realized within the same short context we speak of fresh, original, genuine, speech SD. When one of the meanings is suppressed by the other we speak of trite, hackneyed, language SD.

The interaction of primary and contextual meanings o o o Metaphor Metonymy Irony

Metaphor is transference of some quality from one object to another on the basis of their similarity. Genuine metaphor e. g. “The leaves fell sorrowfully” q Trite metaphor e. g. seeds of evil, pearly teeth q Sustained or prolonged metaphor e. g. “Mr Pickwick bottled up his vengeance and corked it down” q

Metonymy is a transfer of meaning based on contiguity. Types of relations metonymy is based on: o a concrete thing used instead of an abstract notion; E. g. “The cump, the pulpit and the law For rich men’s sons are free. ” (Shelley) o the container instead of the thing contained; e. g. The hall applauded. o The relation of proximity; e. g. “The round game table was boisterous and happy. ” (Dickens)

Metonymy The material instead of the thing made of it; e. g. The marble spoke. o The instrument which the doer uses in performing the action instead of the action or the doer; e. g. “As the sword is the worst argument that can be used, so should it be the last. ” (Byron) o A part instead of the whole and vv /synecdoche/; e. g. Stop torturing the poor animal! (the dog) o

Irony is a stylistic device based on the simultaneous realization of two logical meanings (dictionary and contextual), these meanings stand in opposition to each other. o E. g. “It must be delightful to find oneself in a foreign country without a penny in one’s own pocket. ”

The interaction of primary and derivative meanings o o Zeugma Pun

Zeugma is the use of a word in the same grammatical, but different semantic relations to two adjusted words E. g. “She dropped a tear and her pocket handkerchief. ” (Dickens) “Dora, plunging at once into privileged intimacy and into the middle of the room” (B. Shaw)

Pun (play upon words) is a stylistic device based on the interaction of two wellknown meanings of a word or phrase. E. g. Is life worth living? It depends upon the liver. What steps would you take if an enemy tank were coming toward you? Long ones. One swallow doesn’t make a summer.

The interaction of logical and emotive meanings o o Epithet Oxymoron

Epithet is a word, a phrase or even a sentence used to characterize an object and pointing out some properties of the object with the aim of giving an individual perception of these properties. Associated epithets point to a feature, which is essential to the object they describe. e. g. Dark Forest, careful attention o Unassociated epithets are the attributes used to characterize the object by adding a feature which is not inherent in it. e. g. bread-and-butter letter, voiceless sands o

Epithet q q q simple e. g. sweet voice, true love compound e. g. heart-burning smile phrase e. g. good-for-nothing boy sentence e. g. he spoke in what-are-you -going-to-do-about-it manner reversed (two nouns linked in an ofphrase) e. g. a military abbreviation of a smile, a long nightshirt of a mackintosh

Epithet Transferred epithets are ordinary logical attributes describing a state of a human being, but created to refer to an inanimate object. e. g. sleepless pillow, disapproving finger. o String of epithets gives a many-sided depiction of the object e. g. rosy-cheecked, apple-faced young woman o

Oxymoron is a combination of two words in which the meanings of the two clash, being opposite in sense. E. g. adoring hatred, shouted silently, an open secret, awfully nice, sweet sorrow

The interaction of logical and nominal meanings o Antonomasia

Antonomasia is based on the interaction of lexical meanings and their simultaneous realization in the word. It is the use of the name of a historical, literary, mythological, or biblical personage applied to a person whose characteristic features resemble those of the well-known original. e. g. “Every Caesar has his Brutus” Don Juan It is intended to point out the leading feature of a person or event, at the same time pinning this feature as a proper name to the person or event. (telling names) e. g. Scrooge Mr Zero Sobakevich

The intensification of a certain feature of a thing or phenomenon o o Simile Periphrasis Euphemism Hyperbole

Simile is an explicit statement of partial identity (likeness) of two objects. o o like, as. . . as, as… though; to remind, to resemble, to seem; e. g. as obstinate as a mule; He stood immovable like a rock in a torrent.

Periphrasis (circumlocution) is a description of what could be named directly. Logical (based on one of the inherent properties of the object or, perhaps, features of the object described) e. g. the most pardonable of human weaknesses = love q Figurative (based on metaphor, metonymy, irony) e. g. the Sun = the punctual servant of all work, to marry = to tie the knot. q

Euphemism is a word or phrase used to replace an unpleasant word or expression by a conventionally more acceptable one. E. G a person of unsound mind, a loony, a mentally disabled person; to be no more, to join the silent majority, to kick the bucket;

Hyperbole is a deliberate overstatement or exaggeration of a feeling or feature essential to the object. E. g. absolute perfection; to be about a thousand years old; a thousand pardons; scared to death;

Peculiar use of set expressions o o o the cliché proverbs and sayings epigrams quotations allusions decomposition of set expressions

Cliché is an expression that has lost its originality, ingenuity and become trite E. g. rosy dreams of youth deceptively simple clock-work precision

Proverbs are brief statements, showing in condenced form the accumulated life experience of the community serving as a conventional phraseological symbols for abstract ideas. E. g. Out of sight, out of mind. Early to bed and early to rise, Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

Epigram is terse, witty, pointed statement, showing the ingenious turn of mind of the originator. E. g. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” (Keats) “A God that can be understood is no God. ” (Maugham)

Quotation is a repetition of a phrase or statement from a book, speech and the like used by way of authority, illustration, proof. E. g. Ecclesiastes said, “that all is vanity”. (Byron) Oscar Wild said, “As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination”.