Page 36 - DENG405_BRITISH_POETRY

Unit 3: Major Literary Terms-III

movie stars. Another example is “Westminster,” which is used as a metonym for the Parliament of Notes
the United Kingdom, because it is located there.
Cognitive science and linguistics for metaphor and metonymy
Metonymy works by the contiguity (association) between two concepts, whereas metaphor works
by the similarity between them. When people use metonymy, they do not typically wish to transfer
qualities from one referent to another as they do with metaphor: there is nothing press-like about
reporters or crown-like about a monarch, but “the press” and “the crown” are both common
metonyms.
Two examples using the term “fishing” help make the distinction better. The phrase “to fish pearls”
uses metonymy, drawing from “fishing” the idea of taking things from the ocean. What is carried
across from “fishing fish” to “fishing pearls” is the domain of metonymy.
In contrast, the metaphorical phrase “fishing for information” transfers the concept of fishing into a
new domain. If someone is “fishing” for information, we do not imagine that he or she is anywhere
near the ocean; rather, we transpose elements of the action of fishing into a new domain thus,
metonymy works by calling up a domain of usage and an array of associations, whereas metaphor
picks a target set of meanings and transfers them to a new domain of usage.

3.7 Summary

• A figure of speech is the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning.
• Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity.
• The term “heroic couplet” is sometimes reserved for couplets that are largely closed and self-
contained.
• Iambic pentameter is a commonly used metrical line in traditional verse and verse drama.
• Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its
own name.

3.8 Keywords

Ambiguity : Open to more than one interpretation.
Accentual : A particular way of pronouncing a language.
Couplet : A pair of successive lines of verse.
Metaphor : A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to something to which it is
not literally applicable.
Monarch : A sovereign head of state.

3.9 Review Questions

1. Describe the significant features of figure of speech.
2. Write short note on simile and heroic couplet.
3. Explain the term lyric and forms of lyric.
4. What is an iambic pentameter? Explain.

Answers: Self Assessment

1. Heroic couplet 2. Geoffrey Chaucer 3. Iambic pentameter
4. Iambic 5. Metonymy

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 29