Russian Linguistic Bulletin (Jun 2023)
ON METAPHORICITY GRADES OR "METAPHORICAL CIRCLE" THEORY
Abstract
The present article focuses on the problem of metaphor essential properties through the lens of the notion “metaphorical circle” introduced by the authors several years ago. The basic principle underlying the theory under consideration boils down to the assumption that metonymy precedes the emergence of metaphor, as metaphor stems from the so-called substance (object)-related space.The purpose of the given article is to throw light upon our Metaphorical Circle Theory whose potential is great in metaphor ontology explanation practices and to prove the existence of metaphoricity grades characterized by different degrees of concreteness.The basic assumption underlying the present piece of research can be reduced to the fact that metaphor properties are best explicated by way of metonymy.Metaphor is considered on the level of substance (object)-related entities, on the level of cognition, on the language-oriented level as well as on the culture-specific level. A number of examples are analyzed to illustrate the theoretical assumptions made.Within the specified substance (object)-related space / dimension metaphor is closely related to metonomy through the mechanism of symbolization.The given article also discusses salient criteria typical of traditional semantics for setting apart metaphor and metonymy in the light of “metaphorical circle” theory. The conclusion arrived at is the boundaries between metaphor and metonymy are fuzzy and slippery.
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