A STUDY OF METAPHOR IN ENGLISH

Vietnam national university, Hanoi Vietnam national university, Hanoi College of foreign languages Department of postgraduate studies Semantics Final assignment A STUDY OF METAPHOR IN ENGLISH Lecturer Dr Hà Cẩm Tâm Student Phạm Thị Tuyết Mai Group English 17C Date of birth 07061985 Hanoi, 2010 Table of content 3Introduction 4Development 41 What is metaphor? 52 How are metaphor and simile different? 63 What is metaphor based on? 63 1 Similarity of shape 63 2 Similarity of size 73 3 Similarity o.

Vietnam national university, Hanoi College of foreign languages Department of postgraduate studies

Semantics

Final assignment

A STUDY OF METAPHOR

IN ENGLISH

Lecturer : Dr Hà Cẩm Tâm Student : Phạm Thị Tuyết Mai Group : English 17C

Date of birth: 07/06/1985

Hanoi, 2010

Table of content

Development 4

1 What is metaphor? 4

2 How are metaphor and simile different? 5

3 What is metaphor based on? 6

3.1 Similarity of shape 6

3.2 Similarity of size 6

3.3 Similarity of position 7

3.4 Similarity of movement 7

3.5 Similarity of function 7

3.6 Similarity of color 8

3.7 Similarity of behavior and character 8

3.8 Similarity of sound 8

4 Classification of metaphor 9

4.1 Living metaphor 9

4.2 Fade metaphor 10

4.3 Dead metaphor 10

Conclusion 12

Appendix 13

References 15

Metaphor, an aspect of semantics, has long been a great concern of researchers and learners of English A good understanding of how metaphor is used in everyday language is not only important for students of English to increase our vocabulary, but also to understand new and original metaphor when

we hear or speak them

Importantly, metaphor helps learners see the interest, the beauty as well as the culture color of language which enables them to use and understand correctly and clearly

With this study on metaphor in English, I hope that learners will have a general understanding of metaphor and at the same time, get some common metaphors for themselves

1 What is metaphor?

Theoretically, there are a lot of different ways to define what metaphor is

A metaphor is a figure of speech that says that one thing is another different thing This allows us to use fewer words and forces the reader or listener to find the similarities The simplest form of metaphor is: "The [first thing] is a [second thing]."

According to Oxford Advance Learner’s dictionary: metaphor is a word or phrase used to describe somebody or something else, in a way that is different from its normal use, in order to show that two things have the same qualities and

to make the description more powerful

Or according to Lakoff, G 1987, a metaphor is the expression of an understanding of one concept in terms of another concept, where there is some similarity or correlation between the two A metaphor is the understanding itself

of one concept in terms of another

For example; "Her home was a prison." In this sentence, we understand immediately that her home had some of the characteristics of a prison Mainly,

we imagine, she could not leave her home She was trapped inside, perhaps her husband forced her to stay at home, and perhaps she was afraid of the outside or because of other reasons And with five simple words we understand a lot about her environment, how she felt and how she behaved In this sentence, "prison" is

a metaphor

Here are further examples of metaphor:

Metaphor example Metaphorical sense Original sense

I'm not an angel, but I

wouldn't behave like

that

exemplary person a spiritual being believed to

be a messenger of God

America is a melting

pot

place where different peoples, styles and cultures are mixed together

a container in which metals

or other materials are melted and mixed

John is a real pig

when he eats

greedy person a four-legged animal kept for

meat (pork)

My father is a rock very strong or reliable

person

a hard, mineral material made of stone

How could she marry

a snake like that!

traitor a long, limbless reptile (eg:

cobra, python, viper) The policeman let him

off with a yellow

card.

warning (in soccer) a yellow card that

the referee shows to players when cautioning them

2 How are metaphor and simile different?

Some people still confuse between metaphor and simile, because they are similar in nature With this part, I will make it clear how they are distinguished

Both similes and metaphors link one thing to another A simile usually uses "as" or "like" A metaphor is a condensed simile, a shortcut to meaning, which omits "as" or "like." A metaphor creates a relationship directly and leaves more to the imagination

With simile A is like B With metaphor A is B

According to J.D Casnig, there is a short list of distinguishing characteristics:

"A metaphor is an equation where a simile is an approximation."

"A metaphor can always be greatly extended, while a simile quickly reaches its limits."

"The words like or as are widely known hallmarks of the simile - but there are so many faux similes bearing these hallmarks that further appraisal is always needed."

"A metaphor dies of exhaustion; a simile just gets more and more tired." For example,

Simile: You are like the sun

He eats like a pig

Metaphor: You are my sunshine

He is a pig

3 What is metaphor based on?

Metaphor is the transference of names based on the association of similarity In other words metaphor is a hidden comparison

3.1 Similarity of shape.

Neck of the bottle

Mouth of the cave

Truong (1993:80)

In these examples, the “neck” is not a neck-part of the human body, but it

is the narrow part at the top of the bottle, also the word “mouth” in the last one

is a part of the body that is small and round Mouth is also used as a metaphor to refer the entrance of a cave

3.2 Similarity of size

Their daughter is quite plump but their son is positively elephantine

The image of “elephantine” is used metaphorically to make hidden

comparison with a big person

3.3 Similarity of position

The foot of a mountain

The heart of the country

Truong (1993:79)

Such expression as “foot of the mountain” is described as a similarity of position “foot” is the lowest part of the body and it is used metaphorically to refer to the foot mountain, the metaphor is stimulated by the identification of the mountain Similarly, “heart” is used metaphorically because it is an important part of the body and in the center position

3.4 Similarity of movement

The river snaked away into the distance

The verb “snake” is used as a metaphor based on the identification of movement

They had to worm their way through the narrow tunnel

The image of “worm” is an animal with a soft rounded or flattened body

It is put in the real context with function as a verb to compare with a twisting movement of a person like a worm

3.5 Similarity of function

Basing on the similarity of function, these examples:

Key to the mystery

Head of the class

Truong (1993:80)

We easily see that “key”, “head” and in these cases are not a key to open the lock, not head as a part of the body, in fact metaphorical meanings in these

examples are applied to any obstructing, and this transference of meaning is based on some common features to refer to similarity of function

3.6 Similarity of color

An orange light

English – Vietnamese –Dictionary (1993:1216)

The word “orange” is a kind of fruit and it is as a metaphor to refer to the lights that has orange color Therefore, the metaphorical expressions are based

on the identification of color

3.7 Similarity of behavior and character

He is a fox

He is an Othello

The word “fox” here is a name of animal that indicates a big animal which is very wise and cunning Fox is used metaphorically with the negative meaning to refer to a person cunning character or if we say “he is an Othello”, it refers to a person who is very jealous, that are used as metaphor based on the similarity of character and behavior

3.8 Similarity of sound

He roared with his children

The verb “roar” is the sound made by lion or tiger people say that “the lion roared”, in above example “roar” does not have this meaning, but it is used metaphorically to refer to a very angry father who sounds loudly

However, there are a lot of metaphors not based on the similarity, which are hard to define and requires deep studying

E.g

You are washing my time

The dishwasher can save you time

I have invested a lot of time in the study

Clearly, there is no objective inherent similarity between time and a commodity But what is basis for the metaphor or brings these two concepts together is the perception, based in part on culture and in part on feeling that all human beings share It is advisable to take two following examples for clearer illustration

E.g

She tried to avoid breaking his heart (hurt feeling)

I am feeling down (feel sad)

These two metaphors are resulted from the transference of space relation upon psychological and mental notion, i.e the relation between the concrete and abstract

On the whole, the similarities on which metaphor are based on so various

or sometimes are not clear-cut or present in metaphors

4 Classification of metaphor

Metaphor can be classified into three main types: living metaphor, fade metaphor and dead metaphor

4.1 Living metaphor

Living metaphor that can be called active metaphor is one which relatively new and has not become part of everyday linguistic usage It is created and used by individuals Living metaphor, according to Hoang Tat Truong (1993:81) is "When a word has an unusual metaphorical sense or the metaphor

is created and used by an individual"

E.g

You are my sun

Perelman (1999:88)

In above example, the "sun" is used metaphorically to refer to a person whom you respect or admire for whatever he has done for you This is the result

from an individual and called a living metaphor.

As for this type of metaphor, the addressee can recognize them easily as they are new and very impressive Also, living metaphor are often created or used by individual, poets and writers

4.2 Fade metaphor

According to Hoang Tat Truong (1993:81) "fade (trite) metaphor is one that has lost its freshness due to long and traditional use" And it is necessary to note that the meanings of faded metaphor are registered in dictionaries since they are of common use We can take the following metaphor for example:

E.g

Her voice is sweet She is a snack Truong (1993:81)

Their word "sweet" is used as metaphor to refer to a person who has a very persuasive and skillful voice And the word "Snack" in the second one is also used metaphorically to express a person (she): dangerous character

Faded metaphors have lost the freshness, vigor and emotional associations they must have had Presently, they are sleeping and half dead metaphors which are only aroused in special circumstances Many metaphors have become clichés

of as "stand shoulder to shoulder with" or keep one's head above water, as they now lose the emotional associations that once went with them

4.3 Dead metaphor

According to Hoang Tat Truong (1993:81) "Dead metaphor is a metaphor which is no longer felt as a metaphor because the direct meaning of the word has been completely lost" In other words, because dead metaphors have a conventional meaning that differs from the original, they can be understood without knowing their earlier connotation

We can look at following example for a highlight

To ponder

In the former word, "To ponder" originally mean "to weight" but now only means "to mediate/ to think or to consider carefully"

There are many examples of dead metaphors in the English language A brief list of examples is given below

head teacher

forerunner

to run for office

to lose face

to lend a hand

pilot originally meant the rudder of a boat

flair originally meant a sweet smell

a computer mouse

seeds of doubt

world wide web

turn-on

flared jeans

he ploughed through the car at traffic lights

foothills or the foot of a mountain

branches of government

kidney beans

Hence, we can say that dead metaphors are only used with their indirect or figurative meaning but their direct or literal meanings are completely lost On the whole, each type of metaphors can bring a different degree of metaphorical sense to the addressee ranging from the living, faded and to the dead metaphor

Metaphor is never a simple matter to master a language is always dynamic and especially a lot of metaphors require a good background in literature For example, we can never understand what "He's a Othello" if we have not read The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare and English people take the

image of “Othello” a well- known character in the play of Shakespeare to refer

to a jealous person Therefore, in order to know then use metaphors correctly, it

is essential to read much and research much

This study aims at giving the readers an overview of metaphor in English, accompanied with explanation of examples with a view to help readers clearly see the ground that metaphor is based on Also, they can distinguish between different types of metaphor At the same time, they may no longer confuse metaphor with simile And the most important of all, through the given examples and the appendix, the readers can get some metaphor for themselves

Examples of metaphors

A heart of stone

He has the heart of a lion

You are the sun in my sky

You are the light in my life

She is my East and my West, my compass

You had better pull your socks up

Life is a mere dream, a fleeting shadow on a cloudy day

Love is a lemon - either bitter of sweet

Drowning in the sea

Jumping for joy

Rolling in dough

Apple of my eye

It is raining cats and dogs

Love is a fragile flower opening to the warmth of Spring

Information travels faster in this modern age as our days start crawling away Life has a tendency to come back and bite you in the ass

A riverboat shall be my horse

A light in a sea of darkness

Strength and dignity are her clothing

A laugh in a sea of sadness

The noise is music to my ears

He swam in the sea of diamonds

His belt was a snake curling around his waist

Love is a camera, full of memories

She ran like the Wind

Love is a growing garland

Your friendship is the picture to my frame

Authority is a chair, it needs legs to stand up

Once your hearts been broken it grows back bigger

His hair is a white snowflake and his hair is a messy haystack

You are the expression of my heart You care for me and love me all the time I'm Heartbroken

The pidgeons fountained into the air

His hair was bone white

He tried to help but his legs were rubber

It's raining men

Kicked the bucket

The sea is a hungry dog

She is a dog when she eats

He has a voice of a wolf

Crocodiles' teeth are white daggers

Apple of my heart

A roundabout is a turtle shell

Fire is day, when it goes out it's night

School is a gateway to adulthood

He slithered into town quietly so no one would notice when he dug his fangs in and slowly poisoned their minds

Leaping with laughter