Chapter 6
Lexical Semantics
Exercise 6.9Figurative Language
Give the selectional restrictions for the following words:
study
surprise
slither
invest
Identify the type of figurative expression in each of the following:
a smooth wine
an autobiography of her life
passive aggressive
wildlife management
Orders are orders.
an endowed chair
a hard-hitting report
the paper
a loud color
a new initiative
The pen is mightier than the sword.
a new set of wheels
”Death, thou shalt die”. (John Donne)
a bitter reproach
the hands of a clock
blood, sweat, and tears
an on-off relationship
The traffic is crawling.
search one's soul
Enough is enough.
room and board
live on borrowed time
table linen
an aide
The law is the law.
be under the weather
sell for money
circumnavigate around
working vacation
close proximity
extinct life
Explain what is “wrong” with each of the following expressions using semantic features and the notion of selectional restrictions.
Example: a fatherless orphan
Answer: fatherless has the feature [–FATHER], while orphan also has the feature [–FATHER]; thus, this expression is tautological.
pregnant pause
eloquent silence
misery loves company
bitter reproach
joint partnership
Give a focus and vehicle interpretation of the following metaphors.
“My thoughts are ripe in mischief”. (Shakespeare)
“But ye lovers that bathen in gladnesse”. (Chaucer)
“That time of year thou mayst in me behold / When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang / Upon the boughs …” (Shakespeare)
State the image schema upon which each of the following metaphors is based. (Do not simply paraphrase the metaphors.)
That's food for thought.
He is a giant among film directors.
Let me put in my two cent's worth.
She is a member of the upper class.
His health is declining.
His mood is down/depressed.
One can’t predict what Wall Street will do.
What is the one image schema underlying these metaphors?
to be in the thick of things
fall outside my realm of experience
be in sight, go out of view
be in love/out of love
be in a rage/in a funk/in a good mood
study – requires [+HUMAN] subject
surprise – requires [+ANIMATE] object
slither – requires [+SNAKE] or [+WORM] subject
invest – requires [+HUMAN] subject and [+MONETARY] object
synesthesia
tautology
oxymoron
oxymoron
apparent tautology
metonymy (= ‘a professorship’)
personification
synedoche
synesthesia
tautology
metonymy (pen = ‘writing’; sword = ‘fighting’)
synecdoche (= ‘a car’)
personification/tautology
synesthesia
metaphor
metonymy (= ‘great effort, hard work’)
oxymoron
metaphor
metaphor
apparent tautology
metonymy (board = ‘food’)
metaphor
synecdoche (However, table linen is often not made of linen anymore.)
metonymy
apparent tautology
metaphor
tautology
tautology
oxymoron
tautology
oxymoron
The adjective pregnant has the restriction that it cooccur with a noun that is [–MALE]; pause is [–ANIMATE], and the feature of maleness is hence not relevant. In this case, it is the secondary feature of [+EXPECTANT] in pregnant which seems to be in the forefront. The expression is metaphorical.
Eloquent has the restriction that it cooccur with a noun with the feature [+SPEECH] or at least [+ORAL]; silence is [–ORAL]. Therefore, this expression is an oxymoron.
The verb love selects a subject which is [+ANIMATE], and probably [+HUMAN] as well. The noun misery is [–CONCRETE], hence [–ANIMATE]. In this case, however, misery seems to have taken on the feature [+ANIMATE] by a process of personification.
Bitter selects a noun which is [+GUSTATORY], while reproach is [+SPEECH]; hence, this expression is a case of synesthesia.
Both joint and partnership contain the notion of [+JOINING]; thus, this expression is tautological.
focus interpretation: the thoughts are fully formed or developed (like ripe fruit)
vehicle interpretation: the thoughts are like fruit/vegetables – organic, capable of growth to maturity, nourishing, perhaps even on the verge of rotting if not eaten (acted upon).
focus interpretation: the lovers are luxuriating in, indulging, enjoying their happiness (as one does water in a bath)
vehicle interpretation: “gladnesse”, or lovers’ happiness, is like bath water – soothing, warming, cleansing, revitalizing, restoring
focus interpretation: one can see in the poet the effects of aging
vehicle interpretation: the effects of aging resemble a tree in the late fall – barren, desolate, stark, depleted, reduced from some prior, richer state.
Metaphor: Ideas are food to be consumed.
Metaphor: Reputation/renown is equated with physical size.
Metaphor: Ideas are equated to money.
A conversation is like a container which collects things.
Metaphor: Social rank is equated to height on a vertical scale.
Metaphor: Physical well-being is equated to height on a vertical scale.
Metaphor: Emotional well-being equated to height on a vertical scale.
Metonymy: Place represents the institution
An image of a container.