Metaphors in Current English

Intan Safinaz Zainudin

 Referential vs Metaphorical
meaning
 Referential or literal meaning of a word is its most basic
sense
 A metaphorical meaning is when it is used to refer to
something other than the literal meaning.
 Thousands of words are used metaphorically in English
not just in literary or poetic language but also in
journalism and conversation.
 Eg: Root Literal: part of a plant
 Metaphorical: cause of a situation
 Metaphor in Electronics
Terminology
 Basic conception of a linguistic metaphor is its
tendency to name an object by means of the
most typical representative of one of its
attributes.
 Eg: electric current - created by the
metaphorical extension in comparison with the
current of water, current of air, on the basis of
common characteristics of movement
Other scientific terms
 Red giant
 pulsar
 White dwarf
 Black hole
 White hole
 Warm hole
 Metaphors in Political News
(Journalistic Writing)
 In American language, political news uses sports
metaphor to depict events.

 In Malay language, sports metaphor is also used

to depict political events
Sports metaphors in Journalistic
Writings
 (AE)Bush’s campaign appealed Judge Sanders Sauls,
who decides the court ruling, to dismiss the request
(the decision to hold another televised hearing).
Bush’s lawyer, Ben Ginsberg, said looking confident
after the marathon.
 (ME)Kem Bush kemudian meminta hakim sanders
Sauls, yang memutuskan untuk memberi keputusan
perbicaraan terbabit pagi ini, supaya mengetepikan
permohonan itu. Bercakap kepada pemberita selepas
sesi maraton itu, peguam Ginsberg kelihatan yakin.
 Penggunaan metafora
permainan badminton dalam BM
 Masalah etika dan kontroversi yang melibatkan
Clinton dan Gore juga memberi bola tanggung
kepada Republikan.
 Clinton’s controversial ethical problems which
involved Gore have given the Republican a
chance to pass a hard ball.
Idioms/Idiomatic Expressions
 An idiom is a special kind of phrase.It is a
group of words which have a different meaning
when used together from the one it would have if
the meaning of each word were taken
individually
 Eg: forbidden fruit
turn over a new leaf
have a soft spot for someone
 Wordplay
 Wordplay is making jokes by using the meaning
of words in an amusing or clever way
 Structural transformations of an idiom
produce interesting wordplay
 Idiom: a bird in the hand is worth two in a bush
 So priceless a bird in the hand is worth two in a
bush. (addition)
 A bird in the hand is worth two in the economic
bush. (insertion)
 A bird in the hand, I thought , and accepted his
offer. (ellipsis)
 A competent minister in the hand is worth many
generals in the bush. (substitution)
 Wordplay in certain contextual use with
the effect of surprise and humour

 Plastic makes perfick ( practice makes perfect)

 Basquing in Glory (basking in glory)
 Do your teeth a flavour (to do somebody a
flavour)
 Thirst come, thirst served (first come, first
served)
 Guintelligence test (intelligence test)