Metonymy and Metaphor in Grammar

Figurative language has been regarded traditionally as situated outside the realm of grammar. However, with the advent of Cognitive Linguistics, metonymy and metaphor are now recognized as being not only ornamental rhetorical tropes but fundamental figures of thought that shape, to a considerable extent, the conceptual structure of languages. The present volume goes even beyond this insight to propose that grammar itself is metonymical in nature (Langacker) and that conceptual metonymy and metaphor leave their imprints on lexicogrammatical structure. This thesis is developed and substantiated for a wide array of languages and lexicogrammatical phenomena, such as word class meaning and word formation, case and aspect, proper names and noun phrases, predicate and clause constructions, and other metonymically and metaphorically motivated grammatical meanings and forms. The volume should be of interest to scholars and students in cognitive and functional linguistics, in particular, conceptual metonymy and metaphor theory, cognitive typology, and pragmatics.

John Newman , University of Alberta:
Metonymy and Metaphor in Grammar is a fascinating collection of thought-provoking chapters offering a new understanding of what we mean by grammar of natural languages. Grammar is not the solid, unassailable, hard rock that formal grammarians imagine it to be, and figurative devices like metonymy and metaphor are not the soft, slippery, and dangerous paths to be avoided at all costs. Instead, figurative devices like metonymy and metaphor infuse and permeate grammar, massively, and must be confronted at every turn. This volume argues eloquently and forcefully for this view of grammar, drawing upon a diverse array of languages and lexicogrammatical phenomena, including gender, case, compounds, tense, and a variety of construction types. I wholeheartedly recommend Metonymy and Metaphor in Grammar to all linguists who are open to rethinking the basics of their discipline.