Metonymy - Definition and Examples

Metonymy is a figure of speech (or trope) in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which its closely associated (such as crown for royalty). Metonymy is also the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly by referring to things around it, as in describing someones clothing to characterize the individual. Adjective: metonymic. A variant of metonymy is synecdoche. Etymology: From the Greek, change of name Examples and Observations In a corner, a cluster of lab coats made lunch plans.(Karen Green, Bough Down. Siglio, 2013)Many standard items of vocabulary are metonymic. A red-letter day is important, like the feast days marked in red on church calendars. . . . On the level of slang, a redneck is a stereotypical member of the white rural working class in the Southern U.S., originally a reference to necks sunburned from working in the fields.(Connie Eble, Metonymy. The Oxford Companion to the English Language, 1992)In Stockholm, Sweden, where Obama was traveling on Wednesday, the White House praised the vote and said that it would continue to seek support for a military response(David Espo, Obama Wins Backing From Senate Panel on Syria Strike. Associated Press, September 5, 2013)Whitehall prepares for a hung parliament.(The Guardian, January 1, 2009)Fear gives wings.(Romanian proverb)He used the events to show the Silicon Valley crowd that he was just like them--and that he understood their financial needs better than the suits on Wall Street.(Businessweek, 2003)I stopped at a bar and had a couple of double Scotches. They didnt do me any good. All they did was make me think of Silver Wig, and I never saw her again.(Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep) Using Part of an Expression for the Whole One of the favorite American metonymic processes is the one in which a part of a longer expression is used to stand for the whole expression. Here are some examples of the part of an expression for the whole expression metonymy in American English: Danish for Danish pastryshocks for shock absorberswallets for wallet-sized photosRidgemont High for Ridgemont High Schoolthe States for the United States (Zoltà ¡n Kà ¶vecses, American English: An Introduction. Broadview, 2000) The Real World and the Metonymic World [I]n the case of metonymy, . . . one object stands for another. For example, understanding the sentence The ham sandwich left a big tip. Involves identifying the ham sandwich with the thing he or she ate and setting up a domain in which the ham sandwich refers to the person. This domain is separate from the real world, in which the phrase ham sandwich refers to a ham sandwich. The distinction between the real world and the metonymic world can be seen in the sentence: The waitress spoke to the complaining ham sandwich and then she took it away. This sentence does not make sense; it uses the phrase ham sandwich to refer both to the person (in the metonymic world) and a ham sandwich (in the real world). (Arthur B. Markman, Knowledge Representation. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1999) Going to Bed The following trivial metonymic [utterance] may serve as an illustration of an idealized cognitive model: (1) Lets go to bed now. Going to bed is typically understood metonymically in the sense of going to sleep. This metonymic target forms part of an idealized script in our culture: when I want to sleep, I first go to bed before I lie down and fall asleep. Our knowledge of this sequence of acts is exploited in metonymy: in referring to the initial act we evoke the whole sequence of acts, in particular the central act of sleeping. (Gà ¼nter Radden, The Ubiquity of Metonymy. Cognitive and Discourse Approaches to Metaphor and Metonymy, ed. by Josà © Luis Otal Campo, Ignasi Navarro i Ferrando, and Begoà ±a Bellà ©s Fortuà ±o. Universitat Jaume, 2005) Metonymy in Cigarette Advertising Metonymy is common in cigarette advertising in countries where legislation prohibits depictions of the cigarettes themselves or of people using them. (Daniel Chandler, Semiotics. Routledge, 2007)Metonymic ads often feature a specific product attribute: Benson Hedges the gold cigarette box, Silk Cut the use of purple, Marlboro the use of red . . .. (Sean Brierley, The Advertising Handbook. Routledge, 1995)As a form of association, metonymy is particularly powerful in making arguments. It not only links two disparate signs but makes an implicit argument about their similarities. . . . One of the most famous cigarette slogans was developed by Sigmund Freuds nephew, Edward Bernays who, in creating the phrase Youve come a long way, baby! hoped to expunge the hussy label from women who smoked publicly by referring to cigarettes as torches of freedom. This was one of the early examples of an advertising slogan that relied on social context to be imbued with meaning. As with most good meto nyms, this image was linked with a cultural referent that aided in the persuasion. (Jonathan W. Rose, Making Pictures in Our Heads: Government Advertising in Canada. Greenwood, 2000) The Difference Between Metaphor and Metonymy Metaphor creates the relation between its objects, while metonymy presupposes that relation. (Hugh Bredin, Metonymy. Poetics Today, 1984)Metonymy and metaphor also have fundamentally different functions. Metonymy is about referring: a method of naming or identifying something by mentioning something else which is a component part or symbolically linked. In contrast, a metaphor is about understanding and interpretation: it is a means to understand or explain one phenomenon by describing it in terms of another. (Murray Knowles and Rosamund Moon, Introducing Metaphor. Routledge, 2006)If metaphor works by transposing qualities from one plane of reality to another, metonymy works by associating meanings within the same plane. . . . The representation of reality inevitably involves a metonym: we choose a part of reality to stand for the whole. The urban settings of television crime serials are metonyms—a photographed street is not meant to stand for the street itself, but as a meton ym of a particular type of city life--inner-city squalor, suburban respectability, or city-centre sophistication. (John Fiske, Introduction to Communication Studies, 2nd ed. Routledge, 1992) The Difference Between Metonymy and Synecdoche Metonymy resembles and is sometimes confused with the trope of synecdoche. While likewise based on a principle of contiguity, synecdoche occurs when a part is used to represent a whole or a whole to represent a part, as when workers are referred to as hands or when a national football team is signified by reference to the nation to which it belongs: England beat Sweden. As way of example, the saying that The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world illustrates the difference between metonymy and synecdoche. Here, the hand is a synecdochic representation of the mother of whom it is a part, while the cradle represents a child by close association. (Nina Norgaard, Beatrix Busse, and Rocà ­o Montoro, Key Terms in Stylistics. Continuum, 2010) Semantic Metonymy An oft-cited example of metonymy is the noun tongue, which designates not only a human organ but also a human capacity in which the organ plays a conspicuous part. Another noted example is the change of orange from the name of a fruit to the color of that fruit. Since orange refers to all instances of the color, this change also includes generalization. A third example (Bolinger, 1971) is the verb want, which once meant lack and changed to the contiguous sense of desire. In these examples, both senses still survive. Such examples are established; where several meanings survive, we have semantic metonymy: the meanings are related and also independent of each other. Orange is a polysemic word, its two distinct and nondependent meanings metonymically related. (Charles Ruhl, On Monosemy: A Study in Linguistic Semantics. SUNY Press, 1989) Discourse-Pragmatic Functions of Metonymy One of the most important discourse-pragmatic functions of metonymy is to enhance cohesion and coherence of the utterance. It is something that is already at the very heart of metonymy as a conceptual operation where one content stands for another but both are actively activated at least to some degree. In other words, metonymy is an efficient way of saying two things for the price of one, i.e. two concepts are activated while only one is explicitly mentioned (cf. Radden Kà ¶vecses 1999:19). This necessarily enhances the cohesion of an utterance because two topical concepts are referred to by means of one label, and there is consequently, at least nominally, less shifting or switching between these two topics. (Mario Brdar and Rita Brdar-Szabà ³, The (Non-)Metonymic Uses of Place Names in English, German, Hungarian, and Croatian. Metonymy and Metaphor in Grammar, ed. by Klaus-Uwe Panther, Linda L. Thornburg, and Antonio Barcelona. John Benjamins, 2009) Pronunciation: me-TON-uh-me Also Known As: denominatio, misnamer, transmutation

Cochlear Implants And Other Communication Disorders

I first learned about cochlear implants in my special education class. My initial thought was that they were a beneficial advancement in technology and in the medical field for those who were deaf or hard of hearing. In my field experience, I observed a sixth grade teacher at Donnell Middle School. In her class, I observed two students who had cochlear implants and an interpreter who was in front of the classroom signing what the teacher was saying. I thought that was really neat to see and experience for the first time. Through further research on cochlear implants, I came to the conclusion that cochlear implants do not fix the patient’s hearing entirely and that there are many positive and negative factors to consider when getting a cochlear implant. So what is a cochlear implant? According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, â€Å"A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a per son who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin† (NIDCD). Cochlear implants do not restore a person’s hearing and work differently from a hearing aid. The implants, â€Å"bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound†Show MoreRelatedFilm Analysis: Sweet Nothing in My Ear1011 Words   |  5 Pagesdeliberate on whether or not they wanted to get him a cochlear implant. The wife Laura (played by Marlee Matlin) is deaf and her husband Dan is hearing. The movie is centered around Laura and Dan’s struggle to decide if a cochlear implant is what’s best for their son Adam. It doesn’t help Laura make the decision when her parents are both deaf, and her father i s basically prejudiced against the hearing culture. The main characters in the story with communication disabilities are Laura and her son Adam. LauraRead MoreOral And Non Developmental Patterns1605 Words   |  7 Pages What is the evidence for cochlear implantation affecting speech sound productions in pre-lingually deafened children? CD 732: Speech Sound Disorders in Children December 1, 2014 Heather Friedman Peer Reviewer 1: Arielle Russell Peer Reviewer 2: Ayelet Kershenbaum ABSTRACTS Flipsen Jr, P., Parker, R. G. (2008). Phonological patterns in the conversational speech of children with cochlear implants. Journal of Communication Disorders, 41(4), 337-357. Purpose: ToRead MoreCochlear Implant Research On The Deaf Community962 Words   |  4 PagesMonica Lopez Block 3 - ASL II May 15, 2015 Cochlear Implant Research Paper A cochlear implant is an ear adequate size complex electronic device. This electronic is used to provide sound to a person who is completely deaf or to a high intense hard-of-hearing. This product has had a great impact in the deaf community and has continued to evolve for over 40 years. There is two parts to getting this type of implant; the internal and external part. The external part consists of a microphone, aRead MorePsychopathology And Permanent Hearing Loss1403 Words   |  6 Pagesare still learning the language and communication skills that they will use for the rest of their life. As such, hearing loss that occurs during childhood is far more severe than if acquired as an adult (Pittman, 2015). According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), approximately 1-3 children out of every 1,000 children are born with permanent hearing loss. It affects the physical ability to hear, impacts language acquisition and communication skills, and may lead to psychopathologicalRead MoreEssay on Are Cochlear Implants a Threat to the Deaf Community? 1683 Words   |  7 Pagesdisability. (WHO 2008) Deafness can be the result of many different causes such as otitis media (middle ear infections), hereditary disorders, genetic mutations at birth, prenatal exposure to certain diseases such as meningitis, and trauma to the eardrum or auditory nerves. (Better Health Channel, 2013) While not a cure to deafness, the invention of cochlear implants (CIs) now allows people who are severely hard of hearing or profoundly deaf to experience sound in a completely new way. This surgicallyRead MoreAre Cochlear Implants Threatening The Deaf Community?1417 Words   |  6 PagesAre Cochlear Implants Threatening the Deaf Community? According to the Deaf Culture Centre, Deaf Culture is defined as the â€Å"heart of the Deaf community everywhere in the world. Language and culture are inseparable. They are intertwined and passed down through generations of Deaf people.† It is estimated that nearly 20 percent of Americans live with some form of hearing loss, yet deaf and hard of hearing society members remain oppressed by the mainstream culture (Callis). These people that identifyRead MoreImprovements in the Quality of Life of the Hearing Impaired: Modern Technology Impact2019 Words   |  9 Pagesadvancements are very important in the expansion of deaf-hearing communication, the ability for teaching hearing impaired children alongside hearing children, and for the hearing impaired to be able to work with the hearing during business and healthcare (Hintetmair Albertini, 2005; Power, Power, Horstmanshof, 2007). Through the variety of new technology, the hearing impaired are making a larger impact on socie ty. Cochlear implants and hearing aids are the two assistive listening technology devicesRead MoreTaking a Look at Cochlear Implants2092 Words   |  8 Pagespatient then wears a device called a cochlear implant. Cochlear Implants are changing the world of hearing so that people who receive them are able to gain hearing ability to sounds around them. This partially unknown medical procedure is gaining more attention around the world with its high success rates and its ability to change peoples lives forever. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Website, a cochlear implant is defined as a â€Å"small, complex electronicRead MoreMktg209 Research Paper1432 Words   |  6 PagesThe success of Cochlear Cochlear’s macro-environment and global marketing mix Analysis Abstract: To analyze the reason why Cochlear is successful, it is better to inspect it from a worldwide range. This essay uses PESTLE model to analyze its macro-environments in different countries and regions, and then discuss the impact of these factors. This essay also uses a number of examples to illustrate Cochlear s responding global marketing mix, to further emphasize the deep impact. TableRead MoreDeaf Culture History Essay2085 Words   |  9 Pagespeople classified deafness as a horrendous misfortune. As reported by Doug Baynton (Historian at the University of Iowa), in the early 1800s most of the deaf people in America lived in segregated rural areas from one another, and with little communication with the people around them. â€Å"They also had a limited understanding of what they could do – of their own possibilities. People with deaf children really had no idea of what their children could achieve.† There were very few Americans that looked

Abortion History Of Essay Example For Students

Abortion History Of Essay Ever since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, Abortion haschanged its course in society. With the new decision made by the United States, abortionwas now legal. Many abortions were performed before the Supreme Court decision, butthe settlement made it less risky for the doctors involved. Abortion has caused society tobe divided by a pro-choice group and pro-life group. Two groups with struggles that willnever end. There are many different types of abortions that can be preformed. The type useddepends on how far along in the pregnancy the woman is. In the very early stage of thepregnancy, up to 49 days after conception, the woman has two choices. The first is totake a combination of drugs. This is called a medical abortion. The embryo is then passedout. The other method is to use a syringe, and gently suck the embryo out. The next type can be preformed six to fourteen weeks after conception. Themethod the doctors use is to insert a tube in the vagina, and then hook it up to a suctionmachine. The fetus is then removed. This procedure takes about ten minutes. The second trimester abortions are called DE, which stands for dilation andevacuation. These are preformed up to the twenty-fifth week of pregnancy, and usuallytake ten to twenty minutes. The way they are preformed is the woman is given absorbentdilators which open up the cervix and absorb the fluids. After this is left in overnight thewoman then is ready for the evacuation stage. The fetus is easily removed withinstruments and suction. In the last trimester of the pregnancy abortions are preformed mainly if thewomans life is in danger or the fetus is severely deformed. Only one out of everyten-thousand abortions are preformed this way. The main way that is used is by injectinga salt solution into the vagina, causing contractions. The baby is then born stillbirth. The other way is called a partial-birth abortion. Here the womans cervix is dilatedand the fetus is removed half-way feet first. The surgeon then jabs a sharp object in theback of the fetus head and the brains are extracted with suction. This allows the fetus tobe removed more easily. With all of these methods many United States citizens have come up with theirown morals and ethics about abortion. Today there are two main sides; pro-choice andpro-life. These two groups have been debating over the issues of abortion for many yearsnow and all have strong feelings about it. The pro-choice group believes that the choice of having an abortion should be leftup to the woman. This issue goes back to even to the bible. When people say thatabortion is a sin to God, there is proof in Genesis 2:7, ?And the Lord God formed manfrom the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the manbecame a living soul.? This point shows that first God formed the body, and not until hebreathed into it did it come alive.