Language is a multifaceted and multifunctional concept. To determine its essence requires careful consideration of many issues. For example, the structure of the language and the ratio of the elements of its system, the influence of external factors and functions in human society.
Defining portable values
Already from the lower grades of the school everyone knows that the same words can be used differently in speech. A direct (main, basic) value is called one that correlates with objective reality. It does not depend on context or allegory. An example of this is the word “collapse”. In medicine, it means a sharp and sudden drop in blood pressure, and in astronomy - a quick compression of stars under the influence of gravitational forces.
The figurative meaning of words is their second meaning. It arises when the name of a phenomenon is consciously transferred to another in connection with the similarity of their functions, features, etc. For example, the same “collapse” received the
figurative meaning of the word. Examples relate to public life. So, in the figurative sense, “collapse” means destruction, the collapse of the unification of people as a result of the onset of a systemic crisis.
Scientific definition
In linguistics, the figurative meaning of words is their secondary derivative, associated with the main meaning of metaphorical, metonymic dependence or any associative signs. In this case, it arises on the basis of logical, spatial, temporal and other correlation of concepts.
Speech application
Words with a figurative meaning are used when naming those phenomena that are not an ordinary and permanent object for designation. They come closer to other concepts in emerging associations that are obvious to speakers.
Words used in figurative meanings can preserve imagery. For example, dirty insinuations or dirty thoughts. Such figurative meanings are given in explanatory dictionaries. These words are different from metaphors invented by writers.
However, in most cases, when the transfer of values occurs, the imagery is lost. An example of this is an expression such as the spout of a teapot and the bend of a pipe, the clock and the tail of a carrot. In such cases, the figurative attenuation in the
lexical meaning of words occurs
.Change the essence of the concept
The figurative meaning of words can be assigned to any action, attribute or object. As a result, it goes into the category of major or major. For example, a book spine or a door handle.
Polysemy
The figurative meaning of words is often a phenomenon caused by their ambiguity. In the scientific language, it is called "Polysemy." Often a single word has more than one fixed meaning. In addition, people who use the language often have a need to name a new phenomenon that does not yet have a lexical designation. In this case, they use the words they already know.
Polysemy issues are usually nomination issues. In other words, the movement of things with the existing word identity. However, not all scientists agree with this. Some of them do not allow the presence of more than one word meaning. There is another opinion. Many scientists support the idea that the figurative meaning of words is their lexical meaning, implemented in various ways.
For example, we say “red tomato”. The adjective used in this case is a direct meaning. "Red" can be said about the person. In this case, it is understood that he was blushing or overheating. Thus, the figurative meaning can always be explained through the direct. But linguistics cannot give an explanation of why red is called red . This name is simply called that color.
In polysemy, there is the phenomenon of unequal values. For example, the word "flare up" can mean that the subject suddenly caught fire, and that the person turned red with shame, and that a quarrel suddenly arose, etc. Some of these expressions are more common in the language. They immediately come to mind when this word is mentioned. Others apply only in special situations and special combinations.
Between some meanings of the word there are semantic connections that make such a phenomenon understandable when different properties and objects are called the same.
Trails
The use of a word in a figurative meaning can be not only a stable fact of the language. Such use is sometimes limited, fleeting and carried out within the framework of only one utterance. In this case, the goal of exaggeration and special expressiveness of what has been said is achieved.
Thus, there is an unstable figurative meaning of the word. Examples of this use are in poetry and literature. For these genres, this is an effective artistic device. For example, at Blok one may recall the "empty eyes of the cars" or "dust swallowing rain in pills." What is the figurative meaning of a word in this case? This is evidence of his unlimited ability to explain new concepts.
The emergence of figurative meanings of words of the literary and stylistic type is paths. In other words, figurative expressions.
Metaphor
In philology, there are a number of different types of name transfer. One of the most important among them is a metaphor. With its help, the name of one phenomenon is transferred to another. Moreover, this is possible only with the similarity of certain signs. The similarity can be external (in color, size, character, shape and movement), as well as internal (in evaluation, sensations and impressions). Thus, with the help of a metaphor they speak of black thoughts and a sour face, an abated storm and a cold welcome. In this case, the thing is replaced, and the sign of the concept remains unchanged.
The figurative meaning of words with the help of metaphor takes place at various degrees of similarity. An example of this is a duck (a device in medicine) and a tractor caterpillar. Here, hyphenation in similar forms is applied. Metaphorical meaning can carry the names given to a person. For example, Hope, Love, Faith. Sometimes the transfer of values is carried out by similarity with sounds. So, the beep was called a siren.
Metonymy
It is also one of the most important types of name transfer. However, when using it, the similarities of internal and external signs do not apply. Here there is an adjacency of cause-effect relationships or, in other words, the contact of things in time or in space.
The metonymic figurative meaning of words is a change not only of the subject, but also of the concept itself. When this phenomenon occurs, only connections of adjacent links of the lexical chain can be explained.
The figurative meanings of words can be based on associations with the material from which the item is made. For example, earth (soil), table (food), etc.
Synecdoche
This concept means the transfer of any part to the whole. An example of this is the expression "the child walks behind the skirt of the mother," "one hundred heads of cattle," etc.
Homonyms
This concept in philology means the identical sounds of two or more different words. Homonymy is the sound coincidence of lexical units that are not semantically related to each other.
Distinguish phonetic and grammatical homonyms. The first case concerns those words that are in the accusative or
nominative case, they sound the same, but at the same time they have a different composition of phonemes. For example, “rod” and “pond”. Grammatical homonyms arise when both the phoneme and pronunciation have the same words, but the individual
forms of words are different
. For example, the number “three” and the verb “three”. With changes in the pronunciation of such words will not coincide. For example, "rub", "three", etc.
Synonyms
This concept refers to words of the same part of speech, identical or similar in their lexical meaning. At the source of synonymy are foreign language and their lexical meanings, general literary and dialectic. Such figurative meanings of words also arise due to jargon (“to burst” - “to eat”).
Synonyms are divided into types. Among them:
- absolute, when the meaning of the words is completely the same ("octopus" - "octopus");
- conceptual, differing in shades of lexical meanings (“reflect” - “think”);
- stylistic, which have differences in stylistic coloring ("sleep" - "sleep").
Antonyms
This concept refers to words related to the same part of speech, but having opposite concepts. This type of figurative values can have a difference in structure (“make” - “make”) and different roots (“white” - “black”).
Antonymy is observed in those words that express the opposed orientation of signs, states, actions and properties. The purpose of their use is the transmission of contrasts. This technique is often used in poetic and oratory.