![]() "Because in metaphorical utterances what the speaker means differs from what he says (in one sense of 'say'), in general, we shall need two sentences for our examples of metaphor-first the sentence uttered metaphorically, and second a sentence that expresses literally what the speaker means when he utters the first sentence and means it metaphorically.Gibbs, Jr., Intentions in the Experience of Meaning. Third, if the literal meaning is defective or inappropriate for the context, then and only then, will listeners derive an alternative nonliteral meaning that makes the utterance consistent with the cooperative principle." (Raymond W. Second, the listener assesses the appropriateness and/or truthfulness of that literal meaning against the context of the utterance. How do listeners comprehend figurative utterances such as Criticism is a branding iron? Listeners presumably determine the conversational inferences (or 'implicatures') of nonliteral utterances by first analyzing the literal meaning of the sentence. Rather, the speaker intends this utterance to have some figurative meaning along the lines that criticism can psychologically hurt the person who receives it, often with long-lasting consequences. "hen a speaker says Criticism is a branding iron, he or she does not literally mean that criticism is a tool to mark livestock.Random House, 2008)Ĭognitive Processes Used in Understanding Figurative Language (Gricean View) (Sol Steinmetz, Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning. The astronomical meaning of eccentric has only historical relevance today, while the figurative meaning is the commonly recognized one, as in this comment in a Wall Street Journal editorial: 'Proper eccentrics are more likely to shrink from the limelight than to slaver at its prospect.'" ![]() ![]() Eccentric was defined as 'deviating from the usual character or practice unconventional whimsical odd,' as in an eccentric genius, an eccentric millionaire. "In 1685, the definition slid from the literal to the figurative. " Eccentric first came into English in 1551 as a technical term in astronomy, meaning 'a circle in which the earth, the sun, etc.(Brian Sahd, "Community Development Corporations and Social Capital." Community-Based Organizations, ed. "In France, there is a saying 'C'est quoi, ce Bronx?' Literally, it means, 'What is this, the Bronx?' Figuratively it means 'What a dump!'". ![]()
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