METAPHOR

TROPES

 Tropesare expressive means based on the

transfer of meaning or figurative use of
the words and expressions within one and
the same paradigm.

She is the heart of society

 WHAT IS METAPHOR?
 Metaphor is a figure of
speech that makes a
comparison between two
unlike things , in which one
thing becomes another
thing without the use of the
words: “like”, “as”,
”than”,
“resemble”.
 FOR EXAMPLE:
 She is a walking dictionary.

 My mom is a teddy
 bear.
Your friend George is just a big baby!

I wish you weren’t always such a chicken!

 ACCORDING TO I .GALPERIN :
“ A metaphor is a relation between the dictionary and
contextual logical meanings based on the affinity or
similarity of certain properties or features of the two
corresponding concepts”.
WHAT DO METAPHORS LOOK
LIKE?
WHAT DO METAPHORS LOOK LIKE?
FINALLY - WHY USE THEM?
 Explicit or
embedded

implie Types of
metaphor mixed
d s

extended
 anthropomorphic

Types of
Trite and
genuine metapho compositional

rs

conceptual
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-
panes.
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-
panes.
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that sand in drains’
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys.
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap.
And seeing it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.
 IMPLIED METAPHOR
 An implied metaphor doesn’t tell us
directly that one thing “is” something
else. If we say
 “the city is a sleeping woman ’’’,we
use direct metaphor. If we say
 “the city sleeps peacefully ”,we use
an implied metaphor.
 AN IMPLIED METAPHOR

 An implied (imlicit) metaphor is a type

of metaphor that compares two unlike things
without mentioning one of them. For example,
 "Elise finally lured Adam into her web."

(a network of fine threads constructed by a spider

from fluid secreted by its spinnerets, used to
catch its prey).
In this line, we know what Elise is being
compared to a spider, but it isn't expressly
stated.
 TRITE AND GENUINE METAPHORS
 Another type of metaphor usually referred to with
little admiration is the dead metaphor. It is a type of
metaphor which has been absorbed into everyday
language usage and become naturalized ,so that most
language users are not aware of it as a metaphor any
more.
 Common examples include:

1. The foot of a bed

2. A table leg.
3.The arm of chair.
4. The foot of a page
 Unexpected metaphors are called genuine
metaphors. Genuine metaphors are regarded as
belonging to the language-in-action i.e., speech
metaphors. Genuine metaphors are mostly to be
found in poetry and emotive prose.
The wider the gap between the associated objects the
more striking and unexpected – the more expressive –
is the metaphor.

 e.g., His voice was a dagger of corroded brass. (S.

Lewis); e.g. They walked alone, two continents of
experience and feeling, unable to communicate.
(W.S. Gilbert).
 MIXED METAPHORS
 A mixedmetaphor is the inconsistent mixture of two
or more metaphors .
 I will burn my bridges when I get to them.
This mixes two metaphors. Burning bridges’
means leaving yourself no way out of a
situation.
 ‘I will cross my bridges when I get to them’
means I will deal with a problem when it
crops up, not worry about it beforehand.
 Don’t count your bridges until you've
crossed them. —A hybrid between “Don't
count your chickens before they hatch,” and
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
The ball is in your court
and you should see the light
at the end of the tunnel.

someone was being taken on

a wild goose chase up the
garden path

When someone is on a “wild

goose chase,” they are pursuing
something that seems to be
pointless or unattainable.
 EXPLICIT OR EMBEDDED METAPHORS

 Oneaspect of metaphors which can create

confusion is the different between explicit and
embedded metaphors.
for example:
 CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR

 In cognitive linguistics, conceptual

metaphor, or cognitive metaphor, refers to
the understanding of one idea, or
conceptual domain, in terms of another, for
example, understanding
 quantity in terms of directionality (e.g.

"prices are rising").
CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS
 Conceptualmetaphors are seen in
language in our everyday lives.
Conceptual metaphors shape not just our
communication, but also shape the way
we think and act.
"argument is war".
The systematic clustering of figurative expressions
around conceptual metaphors like love is a
Journey is striking.

Love is Journey!
Lovers, relationships, travellers, vehicle,
Common goals, problems. Destination, obstacles.

Our marriage was

a roll coaster ride !
ROOT METAPHOR = CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR
A root metaphor is a fact or narrative that directly affects a
person’s view of the world and his or her interpretation of
reality. Root metaphors are hidden and are a little on the
tricky side. They do not seem to be metaphors on the surface,
and they sometimes make it easier to produce other
metaphors.
Essentially, root metaphors demonstrate how well someone
understands
Root metaphors are also called basic metaphors, master
metaphors, or myths.
Life is a journey.
Nature as machine.
Nature as kin.
Nature as persons.
Nature as creativity.
 A SYNAESTHETIC METAPHOR
Examples of cross-sensory
(synesthetic) metaphors include:
“loud shirt,” “bitter wind” or
“prickly laugh”, “dark sounds”,
and “sweet smells”.
Many of these cross-sensory terms
have been so often used to become
cliché.
ANTHROPOMORPHIC METAPHORS

Another term use to describe this

phenomenon is personification.
Personification is a special kind of
metaphor in which a nonhuman think
or quality is talked about as if it were
human.
For example : “The bare
old elm trees wrung their
many hands in the bleak
wintry air…”
Lightning danced across the sky.
The wind howled in the night.
Rita heard the last piece of pie calling her name.
My alarm clock yells at me to get out of bed every
morning.
The door protested as it opened slowly.
My house is a friend who protects me.
The moon played hide and seek with the clouds.
The camera loves her since she is so pretty.
Our vacuum hums a happy tune while it cleans.
My flowers were begging for water.
The thunder was grumbling in the distance.
Love seeketh not itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care;
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hell’s
despair
(“The Clod and the Pebble” By W.Blake)
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR
ATTENTION!!!