Understanding metonymies in discourse

We propose a new computational model for the resolution of metonymies, a particular type of figurative language. Typically, metonymies are considered as a violation of semantic constraints (e.g., those expressed by selectional restrictions) that require some repair mechanism (e.g., type coercion) for proper interpretation. We reject this view, arguing that it misses out on the interpretation of a considerable number of utterances. Instead, we treat literal and figurative language on a par, by computing both kinds of interpretation independently from each other as long as their semantic representation structures are consistent with the underlying knowledge representation structures of the domain of discourse. The following general heuristic principles apply for making reasonable selections from the emerging readings. We argue that the embedding of utterances in a coherent discourse context is as important for recognizing and interpreting metonymic utterances as intrasentential semantic constraints. Therefore, in our approach, (metonymic or literal) interpretations that establish referential cohesion are preferred over ones that do not. In addition, metonymic interpretations that conform to a metonymy schema are preferred over metonymic ones that do not, and metonymic interpretations that are in conformance with knowledge-based aptness conditions are preferred over metonymic ones that are not. We lend further credit to our model by discussing empirical data from an evaluation study which highlights the importance of the discourse embedding of metonymy interpretation for both anaphora and metonymy resolution

On Multiple Metonymies Within Indirect Speech Acts

Indirect speech acts are frequently structured by more than a single metonymy. The metonymies are related not only to the illocutionary force of the utterances, but also function within the individual lexemes being their parts. An indirect speech act can thus involve not only multiple, but also multi-levelled operation of conceptual metonymy

Landscapes of empathy: spatial scenarios, metaphors and metonymies in responses to distant suffering

This study re-analyses focus group data on responses to human rights abuses, to investigate how participants’ experiences in their local social and physical worlds influence empathy with distant suffering others. Metaphors, metonymies, narratives and typifying scenarios were identified in the discourse dynamics. Scenarios, metaphors and metonymies of space and place emerge as particularly significant in the dialogic co-construction of moral reasoning. Embodied experiences, specifically encounters with people begging in the street, become emblematic of perceived threats to personal space that should feel private and secure. Systematic spatial metaphors construct a landscape of empathic understanding with an optimal distance for empathy, neither too close nor too far. Faced with distant suffering others in prompt materials, participants respond with parallel reasoning on the symbolic landscape. Implications for increasing empathic understanding of distant others are discussed

METONIMIJA TEMELJENA NA KULTUROLOŠKOM ZNANJU I PRAGMATIČKA INFERENCIJA U GOVORNOM DISKURSU

Th e characterization of metonymy as a conceptual tool for guiding inferencing in language has opened a new fi eld of study in cognitive linguistics and pragmatics. To appreciate the value of metonymy for pragmatic inferencing, metonymy should not be viewed as performing only its prototypical referential function. Metonymic mappings are operative in speech acts at the level of reference, predication, proposition and illocution. Th e aim of this paper is to study the role of metonymy in pragmatic inferencing in spoken discourse in televison interviews. Case analyses of authentic utterances classifi ed as illocutionary metonymies following the pragmatic typology of metonymic functions are presented. Th e inferencing processes are facilitated by metonymic connections existing between domains or subdomains in the same functional domain. It has been widely accepted by cognitive linguists that universal human knowledge and embodiment are essential for the interpretation of metonymy. Th is analysis points to the role of cultural background knowledge in understanding target meanings. All these aspects of metonymic connections are exploited in complex inferential processes in spoken discourse. In most cases, metaphoric mappings are also a part of utterance interpretation.Poimanje metonimije kao konceptualnog alata za inferenciju u jeziku otvorilo je novo područje proučavanja u kognitivnoj lingvistici i pragmalingvistici. Kako bi se shvatila vrijednost metonimije pri pragmatičkoj inferenciji, funkciju metonimije treba sagledati šire od njene prototipne referencijalne funkcije. Metonimijska preslikavanja odvijaju se u govornim činovima na razini referencije, predikacije, rečenice i ilokucije. Ovaj rad bavi se ulogom metonimije u pragmatičkoj inferenciji u govornom diskursu na primjerima uzetima iz televizijskih intervjua. Analizirani su autentični izričaji koji se klasifi ciraju kao ilokucijske metonimije prema pragmatičkoj tipologiji metonimijskih funkcija. Metonimijske veze koje postoje između domena i poddomena u istoj funkcionalnoj domeni olakšavaju procese inferencije. U kognitivnoj lingvistici opće je prihvaćeno da su univerzalno ljudsko znanje i tjelesna iskustva bitna za interpretaciju metonimije. Ova analiza ukazuje na ulogu specifi čnog kulturološkog znanja u razumijevanju ciljanih značenja. Svi navedeni aspekti metonimijskih veza iskorišteni su u složenim inferencijskim procesima u govornom diskursu. U mnogim slučajevima, metaforička preslikavanja također se javljaju kao dio interpretacije izričaja

Metonymy in Spanish and American parliamentary speeches: Obama’s State of the Union Address versus Rajoy’s State of the Nation Address

The present study compares metonymy use in a Spanish political speech with an American political speech, which belong to two different debate traditions, to convince the public of economic victory after the worldwide financial crisis. For that purpose, we analyze the metonymies employed in the Economy sections of the 2015 State of the Union Address in the US and in the 2015 State of the Nation Address in Spain. The present study aims at answering the following research questions: 1. What metonymies do President Obama and Prime Minister Rajoy use in their American and Spanish political speeches in an attempt to convince the public of economic victory? 2. What are the similarities and differences between the role of metonymy in shaping public opinion about economic recovery in America and Spain in both speeches? To answer these questions, we use the Conceptual Metonymy Theory (Dirven & Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez 2010), which stems from the general framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson 1980/2003). The results indicate that the politicians use metonymies to sway the audience’s opinion to their side and, thus, used them ideologically. The politicians differ however in the stress given to different aspects of the economic recoveryEste estudio presenta un análisis comparativo del uso de la metonimia en dos discursos políticos pertenecientes a dos tradiciones de discursos distintas –el debate político americano y el español– con la intención de convencer a la audiencia de la recuperación económica tras la crisis financiera mundial. Para ello, analizamos las metonimias empleadas en las secciones de economía del Debate para el Estado de la Unión del año 2015 en ee.uu. y el Debate para el Estado de la Nación del mismo año en España. Este trabajo pretender dar respuesta a las siguientes preguntas: 1. ¿Qué metonimias utilizan el presidente Obama y el presidente del gobierno Rajoy en los debates políticos para convencer a la audiencia del éxito económico de ee.uu. y España? 2. ¿Cuáles son las similitudes y diferencias entre el papel dado a la metonimia para formar la opinión del público sobre la recuperación económica en ee.uu. y en España en los dos discursos? Para contestar estas preguntas usamos la teoría de la metonimia conceptual (Dirven y Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez, 2010), que parte del marco general de la teoría de la metáfora conceptual (Lakoff y Johnson 1980/2003). Los resultados indican que los políticos utilizan las metonimias para cambiar la opinión de la audiencia en su favor y, por tanto, se utilizan con propósitos ideológicos. Los políticos se diferencian sin embargo en el acento dado a diferentes aspectos de la recuperación económica

On the regularity of metonymy across languages (exemplified on some metonymies in medical discourse

The topic of metonymy regularity has cropped up in several recent articles, a welcome sign of growing interest in this phenomenon, which may eventually contribute towards shedding more light on the phenomenon of metonymic competence, paralleling metaphoric competence (Lit-tlemore & Low, 2006). However, in order to deal with this complex phenomenon one should be clear about the circumstances of the use of metonymy. Two issues pertaining to the use of me-tonymy that play a central role in Slabakova, Cabrelli Amaro & Kang (2013 & 2016) are men-tioned in the very title of their study—novel metonymy and regular metonymy. In this article I draw attention to some problems with the assumption that these are opposites of each other and then examine what Slabakova, Cabrelli Amaro & Kang consider to be regular metonymy. I demonstrate that while their novel metonymies are not really so different from the regular ones, there is another sense of metonymy regularity in cognitive linguistics, where metonymy seems to come closest it can to novelty. This phenomenon, referred to as regular metonymy, logical metonymy or logical polysemy, crosses boundaries of languages and cultures. This is illustrated on several sets of examples from medical discourse in a number of languages

ULOGA METAFORA I METONIMIJA U UOKVIRIVANJU DISKURSA TRANSPLANTOLOGIJE

This article studies figurative uses of metaphors and metonymies utilized to frame the discourse of transplantology. We assume a somewhat wider view of framing than is usually found in the literature and argue that framing effects can be observed on a cline stretching from the private to the institutional pole. We combine this approach with the findings of the prospect theory that distinguishes between gain-framing and loss-framing as two strategic choices in tackling an issue in discourse. The framing tools, as we show in our analysis of authentic materials, in order to be effective need to be adapted to the section of, or the point on, the cline occupied by a particular subtype of discourse. Although the focus in the cognitive linguistic literature is on how conceptual metaphors are employed in framing discourse, we point out that metonymies, interacting with these metaphors, can also play a very important role. The framing tools used in public campaign aimed at winning new organ donors are strategically mostly gain-framed, and as a rule globally based on the GIFT metaphor. It seems that the metaphorical use of GIFT as a global choice in institutional contexts is not very efficient since it is too general and vague to make discourse more persuasive at the personal level, as expected in the light of the exemplification theory. This metaphor is more effective when adapted accordingly, as we demonstrated on some campaigns supported by or based on metonymic presentation of various aspects stressing the quality of life after transplantationU prilogu se proučava figurativna uporaba metafora i metonimija u uokvirivanju diskursa transplantologije. Polazimo od šireg shvaćanja pojave uokvirivanja od onog koje je općeprihvaćeno u literaturi te tvrdimo da se toj pojavi može pristupiti kao kontinuumu s dva pola: osobnom i institucionalnom. Ovaj se pristup kombinira s teorijom izglednosti unutar koje se postulira gubitno i dobitno uokvirivanje kao dvije strateške mogućnosti izbora. Kako bi bila svrsishodna, sredstva koja se rabe za uokvirivanje, kako pokazujemo na autentičnim materijalima, trebaju se prilagoditi odsječku kontinuuma na koji se može smjestiti određeni podtip diskursa. Iako je u kognitivno lingvističkoj literaturi naglasak gotovo uvijek na ulozi metafore u uokvirivanju diskursa, ističemo da i doprinos metonimije, u suradnji s metaforama, može biti od velikog značaja. Sredstva koja se rabe zauokvirivanje u javnim kampanjama kojima je cilj pridobivanje novih donora organa u pravilu se temelje na konceptualnoj metafori POKLONA. Pokazuje se da metaforička uporaba koncepta POKLONA kao globalnog izbora u institucijskim kontekstima nije učinkovita jer je preopćenita i neodređena a da bi mogla biti uvjerljiva na osobnom nivou, kao što se i može predvidjeti u okviru teorije oprimjerivanja. Spomenuta je metafora učinkovitija kada se prikladno prilagodi, kako pokazujemo na nekim primjerima kampanja koje su poduprte ili se temelje na metonimijskom prikazu različitih aspekata koji naglašavaju kvalitetu života nakon transplantacij