Figurative Language versus Literal Language

Shirl Lofton
Professor Robert Bass

Critical Thinking PHI 210

Date: October 21, 2011

It was the summer of 1971; I was in Lynch Kentucky spending the summer with my grandparents. My grandparent’s house is surrounded by mountains and had a ditch on the side of the house with running water and an apple tree in the front yard. Grandma and I were sitting on the pouch drinking homemade lemonade, as it was very hot outside. The water current in the ditch was hitting against the rocks, and then I heard a voice, it was the next-door neighbor Mrs. Saunders; she sold homemade ice cream for twenty-five cents. Mrs. Saunders yelled “Mrs. Brown it is hot as a firecracker” and grandma said, “Yes it is but I can smell the rain”. The both chuckle and I said, “Grandma it is not the 4th of July and it is not raining. My grandma burst out in a loud laughter and said “child you just wait and see, I tell you I smell the rain”. Who know I was learning figurative language at the age of seven. Figurative language usage began as early as the 15th century. Our language represents thoughts and ideas. These thoughts and ideas can be communicated in spoken, written and signed forms. We have Literal language, which means exactly what it says. We have Figurative language, which refers to words that go beyond the usual meaning of literal words, and exaggerates and alters words to provide extra layers of meaning. With the use of figurative language it creates pictures in your mind that helps convey the meaning more vividly than the word alone and creates exciting writing.

Idiom is an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself wither grammatically (as no, it wasn’t me) or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (as Monday week for “the Monday a week after next