Overview
Figurative Language
Figurative language is commonly used in all forms of discourse as part of daily life. The many forms of figurative language include hyperbole, idioms, indirect requests, irony, understatements, metaphors, rhetorical questions and similies (Rogers & Kreuz, 1994). Research of figurative language often focuses on idioms. Idioms are common in both written and spoken language and the facility to comprehend the figurative meanings of idioms has a prolonged developmental period (Cain, Oakhill & Lemmon, 2005). As such, it is not surprising that most of the research investigating idiom comprehension has used a developmental framework. This research has highlighted that familiarity, transparency, and context are three important factors in idiom comprehension (Cain et al., 2005; Nesi, Levorato, Roch & Cacciari, 2006). Idiom familiarity denotes how often an idiom occurs in language. Research his highlighted that children, adolescents, and adults find idioms that are more familiar, easier to understand than idiom that are used less frequently (Nippold & Taylor, 2002). Transparency refers to the degree to which the figurative and literal meanings of an idiom agree (Nippold & Taylor, 2002). Research has demonstrated that transparency aids with idiom comprehension for individuals between 5 and 17 years of age when idioms are more transparent (i.e. there is a close link between their figurative and literal meanings) (Cain et al., 2005).
Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the nature of the development of figurative language comprehension. One of these hypotheses, the acquisition via exposure hypothesis, proposes that children acquire idioms through their exposure to them throughout daily interact...
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...gth of association between motivation, competency beliefs and reading skill. Educational Research, 53, 85-94.
Nippold, M. A. & Duthie, J. K. (2003). Mental imagery and idiom comprehension: A comparison of school-age children and adults. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 46(4), 788-799.
Nippold, M. A. & Taylor, C. L. (2002). Judgments of idiom familiarity and transparency: A comparison of children and adolescents. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 45(2), 384-391. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2002/030).
Nesi, B., Levorato, M. C., Roch, M. & Cacciari, C. (2006). To break the embarrassment: Text comprehension skills and figurative competence in skilled and less-skilled text comprehenders. European Psychologist, 11, 128-136.
Roberts, R. M. & Kreuz, R. J. (1994). Why do people use figurative language? American Psychological Society, 5, 159-163.
Figurative language and and good word choices. Gregory uses good word choices when he says, “ People can be classified according to the personality and similarity to these ingredients .” Then he uses good figurative language when he says, “ I am like the chunky peanut butter. Although I may not be as showy as the jelly or as visible as the bread,
The author of Red Umbrella and the author of A Band-Aid For 800 Children both use figurative language, such as in Red Umbrella the use a hyperbole ‘’My head spun. Leave Cuba? Tomorrow?’’ this shows that Lucy is confused or overwhelmed about having to leave her parents. As well in A Band-Aid For 800 Children the author used a metaphor ‘’Every child is also a job” to show that Sandigo has a task that that she
... A metaphor, used as a communication skill, is best described in a political way. Think of Reagan’s Voodoo economics, or Bill Clinton building a bridge to the 21st century. Politicians can easily scam an ignorant voter, should one not understand a metaphor. For example: Clinton refers to building a bridge, but does not tell us with which tools he intends to build it with. This particular concept is valid alone for the above reason. Whether you are talking to a teacher or watching television, metaphors need to understand.
The first important idea I find is interesting is in The Vision of Dialogue (1996), Bohm points out that there are many ways of defining what a metaphor is. These definitions lie within assumptions on what is the metaphorical expression versus what is the literal meaning of the metaphor. Depending on how one interprets a metaphor. One is able to understand its message. What Bohm argues about can be seen from our daily conversation. Like we sometimes like to send recipient an emoji or a sticker without a word in a conversation. For example, an emoji with tears could be interpreted as the person feels sad, or it could be the person burst into tears because of laughing out loudly, or other indescribable feelings that leads the tears come out,
Lakoff and Johnson (1980) spend much of their book talking about where metaphors come from, how they function in conversation, what their tie to underlying social structures might be. However, I read the book hungrily looking for some information about why metaphors serve a purpose that nothing else seems to for me. Finally, near the end I found this statement:
Metaphors, according to Professor George Lakoff, are a way to think and reason about life. They are not a unique way to speak about it, but a common way to talk about life experiences since they are a reflection of our thought processes (1986). This became immediately apparent to me when I began looking for metaphors commonly used. It took some time to find any because they were pervasive of my thought system that I did not even notice many phrases around me were metaphors. Those phrases were not “poetic or rhetorical” way of talking, but a normal usage for those around me to express their thoughts (Lakeoff, 1986, p.216). The metaphor that came up several times on my search was history as roots. This metaphor allows us to think about life in a certain way and it holds particular implications for our interpersonal communication.
metaphors alone? The use of metaphors in war and everyday life is common and an
Displays developing facility in the use of language, but sometimes uses weak or inappropriate word choice
Jimmy S.Baca use of metaphors, similes, imagery, diction, tone and mood are used in a very effective way in his essay Coming into Language. His use of metaphors and similes really give the reader a visual, helping develop imagery. Baca’s use of imagery paints pictures in the reader’s head but also develops a type of emotion by the use of diction. The word choice used provides the reader with an understanding of where the author is coming from leading us into tone and mood. The author’s tone starts off very low but by the end of the essay you will feel very satisfied.
Figurative language is when you use words or a phrase that do not have a regular, everyday literal meaning and is used by almost all authors in their writings. Authors use figurative language to make their works more interesting and more dramatic. Examples of figurative language include metaphors, similes, personification and hyperbole. Helena Maria Viramontes uses figurative language all throughout her novel Under the Feet of Jesus. In the opening paragraphs of the novel Viramontes uses imagery to set the scene for her readers, she really makes us feel as if we are riding along in the station wagon with Estrella and her 6 other family members. In this scene she describes to her readers reflects on the hardships that this family, and people
What is figurative language? Figurative language is saying something other than what is meant for effect. For example a metaphor, simile, symbol, hyperbole or personification. In the sermon called Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God and the Iroquois Constitution there is a lot of figurative language.
In the book Metaphors We Live By, authors George Lakoff and Mark Johnson address the traditional philosophic view denouncing metaphor's influence on our world and our selves (ix). Using linguistic and sociological evidence, Lakoff and Johnson claim that figurative language performs essential functions beyond those found in poetry, cliché, and elaborate turns of phrase. Metaphor permeates our daily experiences - not only through systems of language, but also in terms of the way we think and act. The key to understanding a metaphor's effect on behavior, relationships, and how we make sense of our environment, can be found in the way humans use metaphorical language. To appreciate the affects of figurative language over even the most mundane details of our daily activity, it is necessary to define the term, "metaphor" and explain its role in defining the thoughts and actions that structure our conceptual system.
Many individuals have subconsciously used folk linguistics. They carry their own notions and implement them into language use. For instance, some societies perceive certain
In Mr. Brzoska’s class I had to choose four essays to analyze for figurative language. I dreaded the thought of having to read twelve essays, nor did I believe that I would enjoy the readings. When selecting the essays, I was driven by curiosity. I chose DON’T EAT BEFORE READING THIS by Anthony Bourdain, SANDRA BLAND AND OR VULNERABLE BODIES constructed by Roxane Gay, WHY WE CRAVE HORROR MOVIES by the famous Stephen King. Lastly, I selected FROM JAMAICA TO MINNESOTA TO MYSELF written by Marlon James.
An idiom is a group of words that have a meaning that is not deduced from the groups of words literally. Thus, unlike the meaning of sentences, the meaning of idioms cannot be deduced by the morpho-syntactic rules of language. It was once hypothesised that the meaning of idioms are arbitrary just like how the meaning of words are arbitrary and in order to make sense of idioms, the meaning of idioms have to be first subconsciously incorporated into memory. However, in recent years, it has been debated that the meaning of some idioms can actually be derived from the meaning of words that from up the idiom. Currently, there are 3 broad classes of idioms namely the “normally decomposable” idioms, the