Cognitive Principles in Metonymic Headlines

Authors

  • Елена Степановна Милькевич Southern Federal University

Abstract

Elena S. Milkevich (Southern Federal University. Rostov on Don, Russian Federation)

The article focuses on metonymy as a linguistic device. Traditionally metonymy is considered within the domain of stylistics. However, methods of cognitive linguistics help to penetrate into the essence of language phenomena and explain their nature as part f more general process of human cognition. Cognitive linguistics puts forward the hypothesis that the use of metonymy is governed by cognitive principles. They are based on our experience, perception and culture. The article presents a study of metonymy in political headlines and analyses the application of cognitive principles to metonymy. We analyse the cases of metonymy presented by proper nouns geographical names such as names of countries, capital, continents. We come to the conclusion that the concept «COUNTRY» is the metonymic vehicle in three types of models: most frequent types of metonymy are: «COUNTRY FOR ITS GOVERNMENT», «COUNTRY FOR EVENT» and «COUNTRY FOR ACTION». The concept «COUNTRY» can also be the target in metonymy types «CAPITAL FOR COUNTRY» and «CONTINENT FOR COUNTRIES».

The leading cognitive principles in such types of metonymic relationships are: based on human experience «CONCRETE OVER ABSTRACT», «INERACTIONAL OVER NON-INTERACTIONAL»; based on perceptual selectivity «DOMINANT OVER LESS DOMINANT», «MORE OVER LESS»; based on cultural preference «CENTRAL OVER PERIPHERAL», «MORE IMPORTANT OVER LESS IMPORTANT».

Keywords: stylistics, metonymy, cognitive linguistics, cognitive principles, metonymic relationships.

DOI 10.23683/1995-0640-2017-2-144-152

Author Biography

Елена Степановна Милькевич, Southern Federal University

Yelena S. Milkevich – candidate of philology, associate professor. Linguistics and professional communication dpt. Institute of philology, journalism and cross-cultural communication. Southern Federal University.

References

Никитин М.В. Курс лингвистической семантики: учеб. пособие; 2-е изд., доп. и испр. СПб.: Изд-во РГПУ им. А.И. Герцена, 2007. 819 с.

Barcelona A. The case for a metonymic basis of pragmatic inferencing. Evidence from jokes and funny anecdotes // Metonymy and Pragmatic Inferencing / Еdited by K-U Panther, L.L. Thornburg. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 2003. P. 81-101.

Blank A. Co-presence and succession: A cognitive typology of metonymy // Metonymy in language and Thought / Еdited by K-U Panther and G. Radden. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 1999. P.169-191.

Lakoff G., Johnson M. Metaphor we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980. 193 p.

Lakoff G. Women, fire and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987. 632 p.

Langacker R.W. Reference-Point Constructions // Cognitive Linguistics, Vol. 4, 1993. P. 29-40.

Markert K., Nissim M. Metonymic proper names: A corpus-based account // Corpus-based approaches to metaphor and metonymy / Еdited by A. Stefanowitsch, S. Th. Gries. Mouton de Gruyter: Berlin, New York, 2006. P. 152-174.

Mendoza F., Perez L. Cognitive operations and pragmatic implication // Metonymy and Pragmatic Inferencing / Еdited by K-U Panther, L.L. Thornburg. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 2003. P. 23-50.

Newsweek magazine online http://www.europe.newsweek.com/newsweek (даты обращения: ноябрь 2016).

Panther K-U, Thornburg L.L. Metonymy and Metaphor index // Metonymy and Pragmatic Inferencing edited by K-U Panther, L.L. Thornburg. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 2003. P. 271-273.

Radden G., Kovecses Z. Towards a theory of metonymy // Metonymy in language and thought / Еdited by K-U Panther and G. Radden. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 1999. P. 17-59.

References

Nikitin M.V. Kurs lingvisticheskoy semantiki, St Peterburg, 2007, 819 p. (in Russ.)

Barcelona A. The case for a metonymic basis of pragmatic inferencing. Evidence from jokes and funny anecdotes. Metonymy and Pragmatic Inferencing. Edited by K-U Panther, L.L. Thornburg. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 2003, pp. 81 –101.

Blank A. Co-presence and succession: A cognitive typology of metonymy. Metonymy in language and Thought. Edited by K-U Panther and G. Radden. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 1999. Pр.169-191.

Lakoff G., Johnson M. Metaphor we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980. 193 p.

Lakoff G. Women, fire and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987. 632 p.

Langacker R.W. Reference-Point Constructions. Cognitive Linguistics, Vol. 4, 1993, pp. 29 –40.

Markert K., Nissim M. Metonymic proper names: A corpus-based account. Corpus-based approaches to metaphor and metonymy. Edited by A. Stefanowitsch, S. Th. Gries. Mouton de Gruyter: Berlin; New York, 2006, pp. 152 –174.

Mendoza F., Perez L. Cognitive operations and pragmatic implication. Metonymy and Pragmatic Inferencing. Edited by K-U Panther, L.L. Thornburg. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 2003, pp. 23 –50.

Newsweek magazine online http://www.europe.newsweek.com/newsweek (avialable November 2016).

Panther K-U, Thornburg L.L. Metonymy and Metaphor index. Metonymy and Pragmatic Inferencing. Edited by K-U Panther, L.L. Thornburg. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 2003. PP 271-273.

Radden G., Kovecses Z. Towards a theory of metonymy. Metonymy in language and thought. Edited by K-U Panther and G. Radden. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Philadelphia, 1999. Pp. 17-59.

Downloads

How to Cite

Милькевич, Е. С. (2017). Cognitive Principles in Metonymic Headlines. Proceedings of Southern Federal University. Philology, (2), 144–152. Retrieved from https://philol-journal.sfedu.ru/index.php/sfuphilol/article/view/1026

Issue

No. 2 (2017)

Section

LINGUISTICS

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>