Metonymy
December 2nd 2011
Samia: "Dad, I want to put the Christmas decorations up this weekend, could you go get them?'
Dad: "No"
Samia: "Please!"
Dad: "No"
Samia: "Oh come on, don't be such a Scrooge!"
All who are familiar with Dickens know that Ebenezer Scrooge despises Christmas and tries to spoil to for everyone else. This reference, so well known in popular culture can be used to describe someone who is not feeling the Christmas spirit and will most likely be understood by everyone. What is particularly interesting is that Scalar recognises the term 'Scrooge' as a word in it's dictionary that does not need correction. 'Ebenezer', on the other hand, sits next to Scrooge atop a squiggly red line.
Metonymy, as you are probably beginning to wonder, is the technique of substituting one word for another in order to mean the same thing. One sign replaces another to signify the other in its place. This is different from a metaphor in the sense that the two concepts are linked by understood association (in metonymy) and not specific similarities. This also means that metonymic phrases are less likely to translate to other cultures.
Samia: "Dad, I want to put the Christmas decorations up this weekend, could you go get them?'
Dad: "No"
Samia: "Please!"
Dad: "No"
Samia: "Oh come on, don't be such a Scrooge!"
All who are familiar with Dickens know that Ebenezer Scrooge despises Christmas and tries to spoil to for everyone else. This reference, so well known in popular culture can be used to describe someone who is not feeling the Christmas spirit and will most likely be understood by everyone. What is particularly interesting is that Scalar recognises the term 'Scrooge' as a word in it's dictionary that does not need correction. 'Ebenezer', on the other hand, sits next to Scrooge atop a squiggly red line.
Metonymy, as you are probably beginning to wonder, is the technique of substituting one word for another in order to mean the same thing. One sign replaces another to signify the other in its place. This is different from a metaphor in the sense that the two concepts are linked by understood association (in metonymy) and not specific similarities. This also means that metonymic phrases are less likely to translate to other cultures.
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