Metaphor, Metonymy, And Their Interaction: From Theory To Practice

Recognition of interaction between metaphor and metonymy has now become commonplace among linguists. For example, Warren (1992) documents interaction between metaphor and metonymy in semantic extension; Goossens (1990) analyses the ways of metonymy and metaphor can merge, captured in the term metaphtonymy; Radden (2000) offers a broad canvas of all types of metonymic bases of metaphor.The present thesis grew out of a concern with this interaction. In the present thesis, the patterns of interaction between metaphor and metonymy are first distinguished. Then the author explores the plausibility and feasibility of their interaction by discussing four types of metonymic bases for metaphor. After that efforts are made to establish a metonymy-metaphor continuum and mechanisms upon which such a continuum is built. Finally, insights from the theoretical explorations into the interaction between metaphor and metonymy are applied into a cognitive stylistic analysis of three poems from Hung Lou Meng: "Xue Baochai's and Lin Daiyu's Verdicts" ("钗黛判词"), and its interpretative songs, i.e. "Waste of a Whole Lifetime" ("终身误"), and "Vain Knitting of the Brows" ("枉凝眉").