Figurative Language versus Literal Language

By:
Angelle Dent

PHI210
Professor Carrie Prettiman
January 20, 2012

The purpose of this paper is to explore the meaning and functionalities associated with figurative language versus literal language. Traditionally, figurative language, such as metaphors and idioms, have been considered derivatives from and more complex than ostensibly straightforward language. “A contemporary view is that figurative language involves the same kinds of linguistic and pragmatic operations that are used for ordinary, literal language” (Glucksberg, 1975). Figurative language is language that uses words and or expressions with a meaning that is different or a variation from the literal interpretation. Literal language, in comparison, is very direct and straightforward in approach by simply conveying facts. When a writer or author uses literal language, he or she is stating the facts as they are. Figurative language, on the other hand, is very common in poetry and verses and is used in prose and nonfiction writing using creativity and imaginative expression conveyed through personal ideas or opinions.

Figurative language is often used as a literary device that many authors use to bring the reader into the actual writing. The language is written in such a way that what is being said or stated is different from the actual literal meaning of the words. Some common types of figurative languages are defined and explained below.

Idiom: idioms are linguistic expressions whose overall meaning cannot be predicted from the meaning of the constituent parts. It is also defined as peculiar to itself either grammatically or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements. For example, when one may refer literally to a seasonal illness, but generally means feeling unwell, the expression is stated “Fred's a bit under the weather, and won't be coming in today.”

Analogy: An analogy is reasoning or explaining from parallel cases. It is also a comparison between two different things in order to highlight some point of similarity. For example, to explain a parallel feeling that someone must be pretty annoying to you, you may state “you are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard.” Some analogies will be understood by most people that speak the same language. Within small social groups of people, there are often shared analogies that bind the group together. On the other hand, there are analogies which are only understood by people living in a certain region or country.

Metaphor: the word metaphor was defined as a novel or poetic linguistic expression where one or more words for a concept are used outside of its normal conventional meaning to express a similar concept (Gibbs, 1994). For example, if you say, “you are the wind beneath my wings” you are not saying that a person can actually be wind. Instead, you are referring to the support you get from that person. Another example would be when one seeks to describe their feelings of admiration for a person by stating “he is a diamond in the rough” or “he is the sunshine of my life.” Metaphors can be humorous while still getting the point across.

Simile: A simile is where two things are compared. A simile compares two things using the words “as” or “like.” within the expression. An example of a simile would be “you are as stubborn as a mule” which means to convey the fact that a person is being very stubborn. Another example would be “he is as blind as a bat” meaning the person simply doesn’t see very well. Similes are also widely used by authors, songwriters, and poets to express form of sweetness like “sweet as the last smile of sunset” or “sweet as the infant spring.”

Cliché is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to this point of losing its original meaning or effect, rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel (Lakoff, 1993.) There are thousands of clichés used on a day to day basis such as “when it rains it pours”, “what goes up must come down” and “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Amphiboly is a term attached to a fallacies or deceptions that results from faulty or careless sentence structure. An amphiboly occurs when the construction of a sentence allows it to have two different meanings. The carelessness in structure may be intentional, as in the case of the title of the record album Best of the Beatles, which misled many people into buying it, thinking they were getting a record featuring the best songs of the Beatles. Another example would be the statement “teenagers shouldn't be allowed to drive. It's getting too dangerous on the streets.” These sentences could be taken to mean the teenagers will be in danger, or that they will cause the danger. Hyperbole is a form of overstatement used for effect in literature and conversation. As a linguistic tool, it works by creating an analogy. It is common in humor, as an absurdity but can be used as a rhetorical tool by amplifying an idea or a situation for effect (Lakoff, 1993.) In some cases hyperbole is an implied exaggeration, where the possibilities are the actual hyperbole.
For example, the phrase “I could eat a horse” or “if I get any wetter, I'll have to grow gills’ or one of my all time favorites “I was so poor I couldn't afford to breathe.”

Euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase it replaces. An example of common euphemisms are “sanitary landfill” for “garbage dump” or “pre-owned vehicles” for “used cars” or “bathroom tissue” for “toilet paper”. The less offensive terms takes the disturbing or troubling feeling away when replaced by a less offensive expression. Often euphemisms can be somewhat situational in tone with what might be used as a euphemism in a conversation between two friends might make no sense to a third person (Glucksberg, 1975). In this case, the euphemism would be used as a type of innuendo. For example, in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Banks family (who are black) discuss Hilary's new boyfriend, who happens to be white, using tall as a euphemism for white. Will, who apparently doesn't catch on, remarks that he is the only one who seems to notice the new boyfriend is white.

Colloquialism is an informal expression that is more often used in casual conversation than in formal speech or writing. A colloquialism is also a phrase used in everyday speech which may refer to any group of words. Some examples of colloquialisms include words such as “ya’ll” or “gonna” or “wanna” or phrases like “old as the hills” and “graveyard dead.”

REFERENCES

Gibbs, R. W. (1994). The Poetics of Mind: Figurative Thought, Language and Understanding. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Glucksberg, S. (1975). Experimental Psycholinguistics: An Introduction. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Lakoff, G. (1993). The contemporary theory of metaphor. In A. Ortony (Ed.) Metaphor and Thought (2nd Ed.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 202-251.