hyperbole

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Metonymy and synedoche

   Metonymy and synedoche   Metonymy is a figure of speech in which something is called by a new name that is related in meaning to the original thing or concept. For example, it’s common practice to refer to celebrity life and culture in the United States as “Hollywood,” as in “Hollywood is obsessed with this new diet.” The meaning of this statement is not that the place itself has any obsession, of course, but instead refers to the celebrities and wannabe celebrities who reside there. Common Examples of Metonymy As...

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antonomasia

I. What is Antonomasia? Antonomasia (pronounced an-tuh-nuh–mey-zhuh) is a literary term in which a descriptive phrase replaces a person’s name.  Antonomasia can range from lighthearted nicknames to epic names. The phrase antonomasia is derived from the Greek phrase antonomazein meaning “to name differently.” II. Examples of Antonomasia Oftentimes, antonomasia is used to call attention to a certain characteristic. Example 1 Imagine that you have a friend who is a fantastic chef, and you want to say hello. Normal sentence: “Oh, look!...

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onomatopoia

What is Onomatopoeia? Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound or suggests the source of the sound that it describes. It is commonly used in comic strips as action sounds and in nursery rhymes. Examples of Using Onomatopoeia  Buzz – for a bee  Hiss – for a snake  Moo – for a cow  Woof – for a dog  Pow – for a punch  Whoosh – for a rocket taking off  Tick-tock – for a clock Onomatopoeia Definition Onomatopoeia is defined as a word, which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It creates a sound...

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blending

In linguistics, a blend word or a blend is a word formed from parts of two or more other words. These parts are sometimes, but not always, morphemes. Blends abridge then combine lexemes to form a new word. Defining a true blend is complicated by the difficulty of determining which parts of the new word are "recoverable" (have roots which can be distinguished).[1] Blends can be divided into three groups Phonemic Overlap: a syllable or part of a syllable is shared between two words Clipping: two words are shortened then compounded Phonemic...

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acronymy

An acronym (pronounced AK-ruh-nihm, from Greek acro- in the sense of extreme or tip and onyma or name) is an abbreviation of several words in such a way that the abbreviation itself forms a pronounceable word. The word may already exist or it can be a new word. Webster's cites snafu and radar, two terms of World War Two vintage, as examples of acronyms that were created. According to the strictest definition of an acronym, only abbreviations that are pronounced as words qualify. So by these standards, for example, COBOL is an acronym because it's...

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Clipping

What is Clipping? Clipping is a process of shortening a word by omitting one or two of its parts (i.e. beginning, middle, or ending letters/syllables) while retaining its original meaning. This word-formation process does not create new meanings rather it provides stylistic value. Each type is discussed below, from the most common to the least.  New words are formed within a culture when phrases and words are shortened, or ‘clipped,’ and used commonly over time.  Read on to find out more about this grammatical term called ‘clipping’. Clipping...

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compounding

compounding That is, in familiar terms, compounding occurs when two or more words are joined together to make them one word. The meaning of the compound may be very different from the meanings of its components in isolation. In language studies, compounding is the process of combining two words (free morphemes) to create a new word (commonly anoun, verb, or adjective)....

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