METONYMY AND SYNECDOCHE

Defenition of Metonymy and synecdoche

Metonymy is often confused with another figure of speech called synecdoche. They resemble each other but are not the same. Synecdoche refers to a thing by the name of one of its parts.

 Metonymy is different from a metaphor. A metaphor draws resemblance between two different things as in “You are sunlight and I moon” – Sun And Moon from Miss Saigon. Sunlight (and moon) and human are two different things without any association but it attempts to describe one thing in terms of another based on a supposed similarity. Metonymy, however, develops relation on the grounds of close associations as in “The White House is concerned about terrorism.” The White House here represents the people who work in it.

Examples of Metonymy in Everyday Life

We use metonymy frequently in our everyday life. For a better understanding, let us observe a few metonymy examples:

• England decides to keep check on immigration. (England refers to the government.)
• The pen is mightier than the sword. (Pen refers to written words and sword to military force.)
• The Oval Office was busy in work. (“The Oval Office” is a metonymy as it stands for people at work in the office.)
• Let me give you a hand. (Hand means help.)

Metonymy Examples from Literature

1.       “I’m mighty glad Georgia waited till after Christmas before it secedes or it would have ruined the Christmas parties.”

2.       “The little buried mole continues blind,
Why flesh that mirror Him must someday die,”

Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part. Synecdoche may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups or vice versa. It may also call a thing by the name of the material it is made of or it may refer to a thing in a container or packing by the name of that container or packing.

Synecdoche Examples from Everyday Life

It is very common to refer to a thing by the name of its parts. Let us look at some of the examples of synecdoche that we can hear from casual conversations:

·         The word “bread” refers to food or money as in “Writing is my bread and butter” or “sole breadwinner”.

• The phrase “gray beard” refers to an old man.
• The word “sails” refers to a whole ship

Examples of Synecdoche in Literature

1.      “O no! It is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken.”

2.      “At midnight I went on deck, and to my mate’s great surprise put the ship round on the other tack. His terrible whiskers flitted round me in silent criticism.”

collocation

1.      Defenition of Collocation

Collocations is a familiar grouping of words, especially words that habitually appear together and thereby convey meaning by association. Collocational range refers to the set of items that typically accompany a word. The size of a collocational range is partially determined by a word’s level of specificity and number of meanings.

2.      Types of Collocation

There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun, adjective ect. Some of the most common types are :

Adverb + adjective : completely satisfied

( NOT downright satisfied )

Adjective + noun : excruciating pain

( NOT excruciating joy )

Noun + noun : a surge of anger

(NOT a rush of anger )

Noun + verb : lions roar

( NOT lions shout )

Verb + noun : commit suicide

( NOT undertake suicide )

Verb + expression with preposition :

Burst into tears ( NOT blow up in tears )

Verb + adverb : wave frantically

( NOT wave feverishly

Why learn Collocations ?

·         Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.

·         You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.

·         It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks rather than as single words.

Example of Collocation :

·         Rizal go home with his best friend every day (best)

·         Rizal eats with his good friends ( good, close ).

Synonym, Antonym, and Hyponym

1.     Synonym

Synonym is the state or phenomenon in which the words that sound different, but have the same of identical meaning, as another word or phrase. Synonymous words may have exatly the same conceptual meaning.

            For examples :

1.      Mother and father - parents

2.      Clear - distinct

3.      Intelligent -  witty.

2.     Antonym

Antonym is the state or phenomenon in which the words have the sense relation which involve the opposite of meaning. Palmer classifies three  of antonym  can be devided into several types :

a.      Graclable antonymy is the meaning of each word is relative, it also can be put in a graded scale which is not fixed.

Examples :

Big – small

Good -  bad

Fast – slow

Young – old

b.      Complementarity is the meaning of the word is absolute, not relative, there is onlyone possibility of meaning which is fixed.

Examples :

Male – female

Alive – dead

Present – absent

Open – closed

Up – down

c.       Relationalopposites is the pairs of words are the reversal of a relationship of word.

Example :

Buy – sell

Push – pull

Parent – child

Teacher – pupil.

3.     Hyponym

Hyponym is a term to refer to a set or term or word. The higher or upper term or word is called a super ordinate, and the lower term is called a hyponym. Some examples of hyponym are :

a.      Vegetable = carrots – cabbages – spinach – lettuce

b.      Avian = duck – goose – cock – hen – canary

c.       Bird = swallow – crane – canary- woodpecker- quail

Simile

Definition of simile

            A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two things. Although similes and metaphors are similar, similes explicitly use connecting words ( such as like, as, so, than, or various verbs such as resemble ), though these specific words are not always necessary. While similes are mainly used in forms of poetry that compare the inanimate and the living, there are also terms in which similes and personifications are used for humorous purposes and comparison.

            A simile can be as descriptive as the writer chooses. For example :

1.      He was as brave as a lion in a fight

2.      He was as angry as a bull at a red flag

3.      He swam like a fish through rough waters

Similes are used in poetry to create different effects, to create an image of comparison in the reader’s mind of what the writer is describing.

Common examples of simile :

1.      Our soldiers are as brave as lions

2.      Her cheecks are red like a rose

3.      He is as funny as a  monkey

Simile examples in Literature

“Elderly American ladies leaning on their canes listed toward me like towers of pisa” ( this simile produces a humorous effect by comparing old woman leaning on walking sticks with the ancient leaning tower of pisa.

Function of simile

From the above discussion, we can infer the function of similes both in our everyday life as well as in literature. Using similes attract the attention and appeals directly to the senses of listeners or readers encouraning their imagination to comprehend what is being communicated. In addition, it inspires life-like quality in our daily talks and in the characters of fictions or poetry. Simile allows readers to relate the feelings of a writer or a poet to their personal experiences. Therefore, the use of similes makes it easier for the readers to understand the subject matter of a literary text, which may have been otherwise too demanding to be comprehended. Like metaphors, similes also offer variety in our ways of thinking and offers new perspectives of viewing the world.