Figurative Language vs. Literal Language - Essay Example

? Figurative Language vs. Literal Language of the of the of the Introduction: According to Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language, in figurative language “figures of speech such as metaphors and similes freely occur...they are regarded as embellishments that deviate from the ‘ordinary’ uses of language.” On the other hand, literal language “suggests the influence of the letter as a measure of strictness and rightness... If something is done literally, a person follows instructions ‘to the letter’, without flexibility or imagination.” (1998) It is common for people to misuse or overly use figurative words in written or spoken language. Consequently, the minds of the readers or listeners start focussing on the language, rather than what it implies. Thus, it hinders the productivity of the thought process by engaging the mind to concentrate on words, or phrases rather than their meanings in a particular context. Following is an attempt to define the meanings and functions of a few words according to Oxford Reference Online that are often used interchangeably in different contexts. 2. Idiom “A phrase or grammatical construction that cannot be translated literally into another language because it’s meaning is not equivalent to that of its component words.1” A simple idiom like ‘bring home the bacon’ means to earn money or success or profit. Consider the confusion it makes in contexts like: We planned to host a sumptuous dinner on Thanksgiving. I decided to prepare a delicious sweet potato, bacon and pomegranate salad, and bacon-roasted turkey. Everyone was looking forward to Thanksgiving as the year had been really tough and both, John and I had to work really hard to bring home the bacon. The bacon has been used in both: literal and figurative meanings in the same context. So, at a first reading, it would be confusing for the reader to distinguish between the literal and figurative meanings of bacon. ...idioms are not expected to behave linguistically as phrases but as long words, and so they are not expected to allow internal transformation. On the other hand, as a lexical item, the meaning of an idiom is not seen as derived from the meanings of its parts, but as an arbitrary form-meaning pair which is stored as such in memory. (Vega-Moreno, 2007, p.189) 3. Amphiboly Amphiboly is a “kind of ambiguity in which the linguistic context allows an expression to be taken in more than one way. There are several types, and writers differ over which to include out of: ambiguous grouping or scope.”2 Consider this statement: I wanted to become a fashion model for eight years. This statement is ambiguous because it implies two meanings: I have wanted for the past eight years to become a fashion model; or I want to be a fashion model for only eight years. 4. Analogy Analogy is the “respect in which one thing is similar to another. Arguing by analogy is arguing that since things are alike in some ways, they will probably be alike in others.”3 In debates or arguments, analogy is used to prove that if A is equal to B, and if B is equal to C, then by analogy, A is equal to C. While such inference might be true in mathematical domains, it is likely to generalize facts and thus obstruct critical thinking. 5. “Flame-word” Flame words are words that convey expressions like anger, fury, hatred, insults etc. As such words carry emotional meanings; therefore they carry compound impressions. For example: May you burn a million years in hell is based upon figurative language. 6. Metaphor “The most important figure of speech, in which one subject-matter (sometimes called the tenor) is referred to by a term or sentence (the vehicle), that does not literally describe it: the ship of state, the light of faith, etc.”4 “...consider the thematic similarity among the metaphoric expressions that are used to describe a love relationship in this fictitious “break-up” speech: Dearest, we’ve come a long way since we first met, but I’m afraid that our relationship has finally hit a dead-end. It’s not going anywhere, and we’re both tired of just spinning our wheels. I don’t think either of us knows how to salvage it, so maybe we should just go our separate ways.” (Glucksberg, 2001, p.90) 7. Hyperbole It is an “exaggeration for the sake of emphasis in a figure of speech not meant literally. An everyday example is the complaint ‘I've been waiting here for ages.’”5 8. Simile It is “a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind (e.g. he was as brave as a lion)”6. 9. Euphemism A word etc. used in place of one avoided as e.g. offensive, indecent, or alarming. E.g. a word for ‘girl’ used of prostitutes in place of the specific word for ‘prostitute’.7 10. Cliche   “A phrase or opinion that is overused and shows a lack of original thought is called a cliche. It can also be an unoriginal thing: each building is a mishmash of tired cliches.”8 11. Colloquialism “Using a word or phrase that is not formal or literary and is used in ordinary or familiar conversation is colloquialism.”9 For example: kids goin’ in and goin’ out all day makes me mad. ‘goin’ is a misspelled word of going in this example. The sentence structure is also not grammatically correct. Such statements hinder the thought process as words that are not of standard meanings may mean different or nothing at all to some people. 12. Conclusion Thus it is incumbent upon writers and speakers to use figurative language where necessary, in formal contexts. This is of great importance in the world of today because of the increasing readership across the globe which is made possible by the advancement in print and online media. Words carry important literal and symbolic meanings. When Former US President George W. Bush termed three Muslim countries as the ‘axes of evil’ (The Economist, 2002) created furore in the Muslim world and became a cause of tensed diplomatic relations with several countries. This is because figurative language carries numerous meanings, interpretations, and inferences depending upon the religious, philosophical, social, psychological, cultural etc. backgrounds of individuals and nations and they can affect the productivity of our thinking process to a huge extent. References: Glucksberg, Sam. (2001). Understanding figurative language: From metaphor to idioms. Cary, NC, USA: Oxford University Press. Vega-Moreno, Rosa E. (2007) Creativity and convention: The pragmatics of everyday figurative speech. Amsterdam, NLD: John Benjamins Publishing Company. "Literal" (1998). In Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Ed. Tom McArthur. Oxford Reference Online. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t29.e729 "Figurative language" (1998). Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Ed. Tom McArthur. Oxford Reference Online. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t29.e464 (2002, Jan, 31) American leadership: George Bush and the axes of evil. The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/965664 Read More