Synecdoche, in which a specific part of something is used to refer to the whole, is usually understood as a specific kind of metonymy. When people refer to their car as their "wheels… 2. Traffic signs, for example, might employ pictograms of the road, a car, bicycle, or pedestrian, but they do not represent anything beyond the part-whole relationship." On the other hand, when Ghil'ad Zuckermann argues that the Israeli language is a "phoenicuckoo cross with some magpie characteristics", he is definitely using metaphors. A famous example is, "The pen is mightier than the sword," from Edward Bulwer Lytton's play Richelieu. A politician is conniving, egotistical, and dishonest. In this example, Shakespeare uses metonymy with the phrase “poet’s pen.” The poet, of course, is actually producing the imaginative creation. I’m all ears! AVA Publishing, 2005). "The part that is chosen to be a metonym of its whole is not arbitrary. Similes are extremely common … Create an account to start this course today. THE FIGURE of metonymy is one that occurs very frequently in the Scriptures and should be understood if a person is to interpret the Scriptures correctly. For example, consider the use of the word “heavy” as metonymy in the following sentence. (Tim O'Sullivan, Key Concepts in Communication. By using “Georgia” instead of “Georgia’s government, politicians, and all the voting citizens” provides brevity and color. Metonymy works by the contiguity (association) between two concepts, whereas the term "metaphor" is based upon their analogous similarity. All Rights Reserved, "Sword" stands for "military aggression. "Perceived as such then metonymy will be a figure of speech in which there is a process of abstracting a relation of proximity between two words to the extent that one will be used in place of another. If someone talks about a lion and says, That's one big cat. While the compound metaphor makes a fanciful figurative comparison between two unlike realms ('snail mail'), a compound metonym, in distinction, characterizes a single domain by using an associated literal attribute as a characterizing adjective, for example, coffee-table book: a (usually expensive) large-format book that is too big to fit on a bookshelf, thus it's displayed on a table--effect for the cause. For instance, a Frisbee dog is one that has been trained to catch Frisbees (an attribute). You may find yourself joining the ranks of Mark Twain or William Shakespeare someday! Tell me about your first date. Replacing words and ideas with others that are closely associated with the original words and ideas allows the reader a more profound way of considering the meaning of an image or concept that the writer is trying to convey. B is either part of A or closely associated with it in that conceptual structure. Though Bartleby’s character has not been convicted of a crime, he is “conducted” to the Tombs as if he is facing his death sentence. For example, crown for monarchy or, [All italics are in original quotations and anything in square brackets I've added]. In fact, metonymy means “change of name.” As a literary device, it is a way of replacing an object or idea with something related to it instead of stating what is actually meant. For example, the phrase “play some tunes” is metonymy for turning on the radio or other devices that play music. just create an account. For instance many Londoners call their city 'The Smoke.' Greeting someone with: It's always nice to see a familiar face is a conventional metonymy because the word face actually refers to the person, but instead you are using that attribute in place of the word you. The best way to remember the basic definition of metonymy is to think of the word substitute. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 83,000 Synecdoche and metalepsis are considered specific types of metonymy. An antonomasia is when a title is used in place of a proper name OR when a proper name is used in place of a title. A steering wheel would be a good metonym for driving, a violin a good metonym for a classical orchestra, bread a good metonym for a baker's shop, a file folder a good metonym for organizing documents in a computer. Metonymy is a figure of speech in which one object or idea takes the place of another with which it has a close association. '"'Well, take one of your moulds. . One of the most memorable lyrical compound metonyms is Lennon and McCartney's 'kaleidoscope eyes' those which after taking a hallucinogen, see the world in refracted images ('Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds')." Therefore, Bartleby’s character is literally and figuratively entombed through the use of this literary device. The difference between metaphor and metonymy then arises, when a metaphor draws a relation between two different objects/situations/persons for better understanding. Therefore, the literary device gives the impression that the tool has mastery of the artist rather than the artist mastering the tool. The previous example about a head count is an example of a conventional metonymy. A synecdoche is when a part is used instead of the whole OR when the whole is used instead of the part. - Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions, Definition and Examples of Literary Terms, I met him at the reception when he took me for a, While I’m sleeping, my dog tries to steal the, Next week, my boyfriend and I are headed to the, “Rags to Riches” (American television series), “Hurtin’ (on the Bottle)” (song, Margo Price), “Guys and Dolls” (American stage musical), “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. In this line, Shakespeare uses “song” as a figure of speech indicating an inexpensive or cheap price assigned to something of value. The bottom bit is called the drag because it’s dragged across the floor and the top bit is called the cope because it covers the bottom bit. . As you stare into the blank depths of his eyes, you could point out hastily, but with growing confidence, that a metonym is a way of referring to something by one of its attributes. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Foreword to The Work and Life of David Grove, Symbolic Modelling Emergent Change though Metaphor and Clean Language, Becoming More Mindful with Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling, Interview Models of Persistence and Innovation, Tangled Spaghetti in My Head: Making use of metaphor, View all articles by Penny Tompkins & James Lawley. Because this synecdoche is a type of metonymy that is often heard in everyday language, then it is also an example of a conventional metonymy.