Semantics: a coursebook, second edition
Unit 27 Study Guide and Exercises Directions
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- Idioms as isolated metaphors
| Unit 27 Study Guide and Exercises
Directions After you have read Unit 27 you should be able to tackle the following questions to test your understanding of the main ideas raised in the unit. 1 You should understand these terms and concepts from this unit: literal vs non-literal language idiom (idiomatic or ‘ fixed’ expression) compositional vs non-compositional expressions U N I T 2 7 Non-literal meaning: idioms, metaphor, and metonymy 341 metaphor isolated metaphor structural metaphor orientational metaphor ontological metaphor entity and substance metaphors container metaphors personi fication metonymy (and its various subtypes) 2 Idioms as isolated metaphors. This exercise is a variation on an earlier one in this unit. Each of the following sentences contains an italicized idiomatic expression that would make it anomalous if it were interpreted literally (i.e. compositionally). Brie fly explain this anomaly for each sentence, and then describe what kind of intended non-literal meaning the sentence typically conveys. Finally, if possible, try to suggest what kind of isolated metaphor each sentence might be an example of. If it’s not possible to formulate an appropriate metaphor in simple terms, try at least to explain to what extent the expression might be partially analysable (i.e. compositional). The first item, repeated from an earlier practice, is done for you. a Frank is a snake in the grass Anomaly: Frank is being equated with (or classi fied as) being a particular kind of animal (a snake), which is literally untrue. Non-literal meaning: Something about Frank’s behaviour is untrustworthy. Metaphor: PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS. (Note that this is not completely isolated, since we do have such expressions as Frank is a tiger, Mary is a lamb, etc.) In this case, Frank’s apparent identi fication as a snake is meant to associate him with the popular idea that snakes are sneaky and underhanded. b Jack pulled my leg when he told me that story c Jim painted the town red when he returned from college d The old horse finally kicked the bucket e When we tried to solve that math problem we discovered that we were up the creek (without a paddle) f The suggestion made by Mary makes me think that she has a bee in her bonnet g Jerry sold me down the river h If you can figure out how to do that, I’ll eat my hat i Fred always tried to throw his weight around j Don’t say a word! Bite your tongue! k I gave them a piece of my mind l Mary and John seem to have hit it o ff with each other m Eat your heart out: I just won the lottery! n Jack is a pig PA RT S I X Interpersonal and non-literal meaning 342 o Mary let the cat out of the bag when she told me about Jane’s marriage to Jake p Jim took the bull by the horns when he decided to deal with the problem q Mary spilled the beans when I asked her about the secret 3 Each of the following sets of sentences exempli fies a particular structural metaphor in English. Identify the particular words or phrases in each sentence that evoke the metaphor and then identify the metaphor itself. Then see if you can provide one or two (or possibly more) additional examples of the metaphor in English. A a What is the foundation for your theory? b I think your theory needs more support c If that’s all your theory consists of, it’ll fall apart d His idea collapsed because it didn’t have enough support e Every theory or idea needs a firm foundation f ....................................................................................................................... Metaphor: ........................................................................................................ B a His comments left a bad taste in my mouth b Her suggestion was nothing but a half-baked idea c There was a lot to digest in the professor’s new theory d The class stewed over what the lecturer said for a while e You can really sink your teeth into that writer’s ideas f ....................................................................................................................... Metaphor: ........................................................................................................ C a She was crazy about him b He nearly drove her out of her mind c Jack went mad over Mary when he first saw her d She’s just wild about Fred e Fred nearly drove Mary insane f ...................................................................................................................... Metaphor: ........................................................................................................ D a The odds are against me, but I’ll take my chances with this project b If I play my cards right, I may be able to succeed in life c Jack is a real loser. He’s never around when the chips are down d My ace in the hole is that I know something they don’t know e It’s a toss up whether John is blu ffing or not f ....................................................................................................................... Metaphor: ........................................................................................................ 4 Now try to do the opposite of what you did in exercise 3. For each structural metaphor given below supply as many sentences as you can which evoke the metaphor. |