METAPHOR is a new nomination of the object which has its name already.

Like a simile it’s also based upon some kind of similarity between the tenor & the vehicle. Some linguists consider metaphor to be a hidden simile, but despite some similarity, the 2 tropes differ both structurally & semantically.

E.g. He(t) is dirty(gr) like(con) a pig(vhc).

He is like a pig.

He is a pig.

That pig messed the room.

Structurally, the metaphor does not contain a connective to show the similarity between the tenor & vehicle.

Semantically, simile is more definite than metaphor. It clearly shows the relations between the tenor & vehicle. In a metaphor, the tenor is often implied, not stated directly.

E.g. Cobra is back.

He was a harmless praying – Mantis.

Linguistically, the metaphor can be defined as the deviation from conventional collocation (традиц-е словосоч-е)

E.g. The last colors of sunset were dripping over the edge of the last world.

Conventionally, “drip” goes with nouns denoting liquids such as water, rain, … But the noun “sun” doesn’t fit this class of nouns. Its combination with the verb “drip” is unexpected, unusual.

There is a distinction between a poetic & dead metaphor.

Poetic m. is based upon some new & striking analogy between a tenor & vehicle. It’s an individual creation & arouses certain associations only with a definite context.

Dead m. is a commonly reproduced lexical unit. It doesn’t arouse associations. It mostly reflects collective knowledge & experience.

E.g. Flood of tears. Rain of hope. Time flies. Path winds.

A dead m. may be revived if it’s placed in such a context, where it realizes both the metaphorical & direct meaning. E.g. He represented a fountain of knowledge from which I drunk greedily.

Besides, metaphor may be classified into simple & extended / prolonged.

A simple m. is expressed by 1 word – a noun, adjective, adverb, verb. E.g. pearly teeth; the leaves fell sorrowfully; slings & arrows of fortune.

His heart seemed to burn & melt away in his wrest.

An extended m. is expressed by several words, all of which are used in a transferred sense. They are interconnected & create a simple complex image. E.g. In November a cold, unseen stranger, whim the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked about the colony, touching one here & there with his icy fingers.

Metaphor’s function is to create images & through them reveal the author’s emotional attitudes towards the object matter.

Personification is a variety of metaphor, when a lifeless object is represented like a human being or a life creature. Usual signals of personification in the context are:

1) the use of personal pronouns with reference to lifeless things;

2) the writing of the word denoting a personified object with the capital letter;

3) direct address to the object which is personified (e.g. Pneumonia)

Personification is widely used in romantism to create a pathetic & emotional mood. In modern literature it’s used rarely & mostly to show humor & irony.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 1226