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Lexical Stylistic Devices

The document discusses different lexical stylistic devices including metaphor, metonymy, zeugma and dead metaphors. Metaphor involves an implicit comparison between two unlike entities. Metonymy transfers associations rather than qualities and is based on contiguity. Zeugma uses one part of speech like a verb to govern two parts of a sentence in different semantic relations.

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490 views2 pages

Lexical Stylistic Devices

The document discusses different lexical stylistic devices including metaphor, metonymy, zeugma and dead metaphors. Metaphor involves an implicit comparison between two unlike entities. Metonymy transfers associations rather than qualities and is based on contiguity. Zeugma uses one part of speech like a verb to govern two parts of a sentence in different semantic relations.

Uploaded by

DannaStoroja
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lexical stylistic devices

Metaphor is based on the transfer of meaning from one word to another. It is a figure of speech that
involves implicit comparison between two unlike entities.
e.g.: time flies
the key to the mystery
In metaphors two different phenomenon or things, ideas, actions are simultaneously brought to the
mind by the imposition of some or all inherent proprieties of one object or the other one, which by
nature does not have these proprieties. Such an imposition, generally results when the creator of the
metaphor finds in the two corresponding objects, some features which to his or her eye have smth in
common.
When using the metaphors, the logical and the contextual meanings are realized
simultaneously. Metaphors can be classified depending on the degree of the unexpectedness. Thus,
metaphors which are absolutely unexpected and quite unpredictable are called genuine metaphors
e.g. taste of success
Those which are commonly used in speech and are sometimes fixed in dictionaries as expressive
means of the language are called trite or dead metaphors.
e.g. daisy - Days eye
Mother Nature
Stephen Ullmann shows that the ground of a metaphor that is the future that to compared
objects have in common, may be objective and emotive. It is objective when e.g. the ridge of the
mountain is called the crest because it resembles an animals crest. It is emotive when we talk of
bitter disappointments because its effect is similar to a bitter taste.
The largest numbers of metaphors existing in any language are anthropomorphic
metaphors and animal metaphors.
The greatest parts of expressions referring to inanimate objects are taking by transfer from
the human body and its parts. Thus we can speak about the mouth of the river, the heart of the
matter, the hands of a clock.
Another common source of medially is the animal kingdom. These metaphors move in 2
directions. Some of them are related to plants: goats beard, dogs tail. Another group of animal
images are transferred into the human sphere, where they often are used ironically, humorously or
even with grotesque connotations. A human being can be compared to a dog, a fox, a pig, can look
or behave in a catty, dogged, sheepish, fishy way.

Metonymy (gr. the change of name) is the use of the name or a think for that or smth else
with which is usually associated. Metonymy is based on contiguity. Typically when smn uses
metonymy, they dont wish to transfer qualities as in the case of metaphors, but they transfer
qualities as in the case of metaphors, but they transfer associations which may not be integral to the
meaning. Thus, the word crown may stand for king or queen or the name of an author may stand for
his works.
Metonymic semantical changes are based on associations connecting the two concepts which
these meanings represent. In metonymy the two elements are insert approximately on contact.
Metonymy has the effect of creating concrete and vivid images instead of generalities. It is standard
journalistic and headline practice.
e.g. city hall can be used instead of municipal government
or the White House > President of the USA
Metonymy is closely related to synecdoche which is the meaning of the part for the whole or
a whole for the part or a place for what it represents
e.g.: roof can represent a house
head can mean worker.
Zeugma is a general term describing when what part of speech, generally a verb, but sometimes a
noun governs two or more other parts of sentences often in a series. The word is used in the same
grammatical relation, but in different semantic relations to 2 adjusting words. The semantic relations
being literal with one word and metaphorical with another word, so the governing word makes sense
only with one word.
e.g. She opened the door and her heart to the homeless boy
Dora, plunging at once into privileged intimacy and into the middle of room.
To plunge into the middle of the room, materializing the meaning and to plunge into privileged
intimacy, the verb is used in derivative metaphorical meaning.
Zeugma can be of 2 types:
A) in which the government word is a verb
e.g. first the door locked and then his jaws
or you held your bread and the door for me
B) in which the government word is another part of speech
Zeugma is especially favored in English emotive prose and poetry. It is a strong device to
maintain the purity of the primary meaning when the 2 meanings clash.

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