Metonymy, category broadening and narrowing, and vertical polysemy
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Anu Koskela
Abstract
This chapter examines the relationship between metonymy and cases of category broadening and narrowing and the resulting state of vertical polysemy (e.g., cat ‘domestic cat’ > ‘any feline’ and drink ‘consume liquid’ > ‘consume alcohol’). Broadening and narrowing have been argued to be motivated by metonymic processes where a category member stands for the whole category or vice versa (Radden and Kövecses, 1999; cf. also Lakoff, 1987). Here, I show that there is a crucial difference between the domain structures involved in metonymy and in vertical polysemy. Unlike metonymies, broadening and narrowing do not involve a shift in the salience of domains (see Croft, 1993). Instead, I argue that there are four possible domain configurations that may underlie vertically related meanings.
Abstract
This chapter examines the relationship between metonymy and cases of category broadening and narrowing and the resulting state of vertical polysemy (e.g., cat ‘domestic cat’ > ‘any feline’ and drink ‘consume liquid’ > ‘consume alcohol’). Broadening and narrowing have been argued to be motivated by metonymic processes where a category member stands for the whole category or vice versa (Radden and Kövecses, 1999; cf. also Lakoff, 1987). Here, I show that there is a crucial difference between the domain structures involved in metonymy and in vertical polysemy. Unlike metonymies, broadening and narrowing do not involve a shift in the salience of domains (see Croft, 1993). Instead, I argue that there are four possible domain configurations that may underlie vertically related meanings.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Introduction 1
- Reviewing the properties and prototype structure of metonymy 7
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Part I. Metonymy and related cognitive, semantic, and rhetorical phenomena
- Metonymization 61
- Zones, facets, and prototype-based metonymy 89
- Metonymy and cognitive operations 103
- Metonymy, category broadening and narrowing, and vertical polysemy 125
- Metonymy at the crossroads 147
- The role of metonymy in complex tropes 167
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Part II. Metonymy and metonymic chains as mappings or processes within domain matrices/networks
- Putting the notion of “domain” back into metonymy 197
- What do metonymic chains reveal about the nature of metonymy? 217
- Metonymic matrix domains and multiple formations in indirect speech acts 249
- Authors’ biodata 269
- Metaphor and metonymy index 275
- Name index 277
- Subject index 281
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Introduction 1
- Reviewing the properties and prototype structure of metonymy 7
-
Part I. Metonymy and related cognitive, semantic, and rhetorical phenomena
- Metonymization 61
- Zones, facets, and prototype-based metonymy 89
- Metonymy and cognitive operations 103
- Metonymy, category broadening and narrowing, and vertical polysemy 125
- Metonymy at the crossroads 147
- The role of metonymy in complex tropes 167
-
Part II. Metonymy and metonymic chains as mappings or processes within domain matrices/networks
- Putting the notion of “domain” back into metonymy 197
- What do metonymic chains reveal about the nature of metonymy? 217
- Metonymic matrix domains and multiple formations in indirect speech acts 249
- Authors’ biodata 269
- Metaphor and metonymy index 275
- Name index 277
- Subject index 281
