Trends in cognitive-linguistic research on metonymy
This article is a brief introduction to the theory of conceptual metonymy and a brief survey of research on this
area. The first section presents the cognitive-linguistic notion of metonymy, including a discussion of the various problematic
aspects of this notion. This is followed by a longer section illustrating some of the main types of metonymies. The section
devoted to the ubiquity of metonymy surveys research on its involvement in cognition, grammatical meaning and form, pragmatic
inferencing and discourse, linguistic change, and non-linguistic areas like art and gesture; it ends with a brief note on
metonymic triggers and chains, and on its multilevel operation. The chapter ends with a reflection on future directions.
Keywords: definition of metonymy, cognitive linguistics, types of metonymy, cognition, semantics, grammar, linguistic form, discourse-pragmatic inferencing, metonymy triggers, metonymy chaining, research methods
Article outline
- 1.Introduction. The notion of metonymy
- 2.Main types of metonymies in terms of semantic-pragmatic function, generality and metonymy category, and prototypicality
- 2.1Types of metonymies in terms of semantic-pragmatic function
- 2.2Types in terms of generality and metonymy category
- 2.2.1Generic level: whole for part metonymies
- 2.2.2Generic level: part for whole metonymies
- 2.2.3Generic level: part for part metonymies
- 2.2.4Example of a more detailed hierarchy
- 2.3Types in terms of prototypicality
- 3.The ubiquity of metonymy in cognition, oral language and beyond
- 4.Future directions
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
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References