TYPES OF METAPHORShttps://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CE8QFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uniroma2.it%2Fdidattica%2Fling_ing1_linfo%2Fdeposito%2FMETAPHOR.doc&ei=AF_gUo-cBY6KrgeEnIGoBQ&usg=AFQjCNEdTCMGSYdWTDnIginpDzWKgMR03w&sig2=PWcsBLNqWiXox-ULQNOyqA&bvm=bv.59568121,d.bmk METAPHORIn language, a metaphor is defined as an indirect comparison between two or more seemingly unrelated subjects that typically uses is a to join the subjects.

A metaphor is sometimes confused with a simile which compares two subjects using like or as. An example of simile would be: He was as sly as a fox. While a metaphor would be He was a fox

More generally, a metaphor casts a first subject (tenor) as being equal to a second subject (vehicle) in some way. Thus, the first subject can be economically described thanks to the implicit and explicit attributes of the second.

A metaphor is sometimes further analyzed in terms of its ground and tension. The ground consists of the similarities between the tenor and the vehicle. The tension consists of the dissimilarities between the tenor and the vehicle.

The corresponding terms to tenor and vehicle in Lakoff's terminology are target and source.

Types of metaphor

Rhetorical theorists and other scholars of language have discussed numerous dimensions of metaphors, though these nomenclatures are by no means universal nor necessarily mutually exclusive.

An extended metaphor, or conceit, sets up a principal subject with several subsidiary subjects or comparisons. Shakespeare's extended metaphor in his play As you like it is a good example

All the world's a stage / and all the men and women merely players: / They have their exits and their entrances; / And one man in his time plays many parts.

First, the world is compared to a stage; and then men and women are introduced as subsidiary subjects further elaborated by the theatre metaphor.

A mixed metaphor is one that leaps, in the course of a figure, to a second identification inconsistent with the first one.

Example:

He stepped up to the plate and grabbed the bull by the horns, where two commonly used metaphors are juxtaposed to create an original image.

A dead metaphor is one in which the sense of a transferred image is no longer present. Example: he grasped the concept or I didnt catch your name.

Both of these phrases use a physical action as a metaphor for understanding (itself a metaphor), but in none of these cases do most speakers of English actually visualize the physical action. Dead metaphors, by definition, normally go unnoticed.

Some people make a distinction between a dead metaphor whose origin most speakers are entirely unaware of (such as to understand meaning to stand underneath a concept), and a dormant metaphor, whose metaphorical character people are aware of but rarely think about (such as to break the ice). Others, however, use the latter as a way of describing metaphorical clich.

So a dead metaphor is a metaphor that through overuse has lost figurative value. Other examples of dead metaphors are:run out of time. foot of a hill. branches of government.

An active metaphor is one which, by contrast, is not part of daily language and is noticeable as a metaphor. Example: You are my sun.

A synecdochic metaphor is one in which a small part of something is chosen to represent the whole in order to highlight certain elements of the whole.

For example a pair of ragged claws represents a crab in Eliot's Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock. Describing the crab in this way gives it the attributes of sharpness and savagery normally associated with claws.

A compound metaphor is one that catches the mind with several points of similarity. Example: He has the wild stag's foot. This phrase suggests grace and speed as well as daring.

An implicit metaphor is one in which the tenor is not specified but implied. Example: Shut your trap! Here, the mouth of the listener is the unspecified tenor.

A submerged metaphor is one in which the vehicle is implied, or indicated by one aspect. Example: my winged thought. Here, the audience must supply the image of the bird.

A root metaphor is the underlying worldview that shapes an individual's understanding of a situation. A root metaphor is different from the previous types of metaphor in that it is not necessarily an explicit device in language, but a fundamental, often unconscious, assumption.

Religion provides one common source of root metaphors, since birth, marriage, death and other universal life experiences can convey a very different meaning to different people, based on their level or type of religious conditioning.

For example, some religions see life as a single arrow pointing toward a future endpoint. Others see it as part of an endlessly repeating cycle.

A conceptual metaphor is an underlying association that is systematic in both language and thought. For ex.in the Dylan Thomas poem Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, the conceptual metaphor of A Lifetime Is a Day is repeatedly expressed and extended throughout the poem.

Similar to root metaphors, conceptual metaphors are not only expressed in words, but are also habitual modes of thinking underlying many related metaphoric expressions.

A dying metaphor. In his essay Politics and the English Language, George Orwell calls a dying metaphor one that has been worn out and is used because it saves people the trouble of developing original language to express an idea. In short, such metaphors are becoming clichs. Example: Achilles' heel.

Difference Between Metaphor and Idiom

The Cambridge dictionary offers this definition of idiom: A group of words whose meaning considered as a unit is different from the meanings of each word considered separately.

And this definition of metaphor: An expression that describes a person or object by referring to something that is considered to possess similar characteristics.

Very often, an idiom has no association to metaphor, being simply a phrase that becomes adopted by language as if it were a single word. These idioms are not usually confused with metaphor, though there are times when an idiom is also a metaphor. A good example is the carrot and stick.

The carrot and stick idiom refers to the use of enticement and punishment to motivate a horse or donkey. The carrot was dangled before the animal as a lure, while the stick was used to reprimand stubbornness.

Without knowing the relationship between carrot and stick, the group of words seems out of place in a sentence, which is central to its identification as an idiom.

However, in its common use, this idiom can be used metaphorically, like in:Iran: Wests carrot and stick method failedHere Iran is equated to a donkey, being stubborn and unwilling to change its position.

Trade incentives are equated to the carrot, aimed at luring Iran from its current position. U.N. sanctions are equated to the stick, used to force a change in Iran's position. The West is equated to the farmer.

The way to spot those times when an idiom behaves as a metaphor is to look for signs of an equation being made, then check to see if the equation can be extended, as you see in the above example.

A simpler classification of metaphors was made by Newmark, who distinguishes six types of metaphor:

Dead metaphors, whose images are highly unmarked, e.g. the mouth of the river, the foot of a hill. Clich metaphors, which refer to the use of clich expressions in text, e.g. Achilles heel

METAPHOR Stock or standard metaphors, established metaphors not deadened by overuse. (the body of a car Adapted metaphors, where the fixedness of a stock metaphor has been adapted or personalised in some way.

Recent metaphors, where an anonymous metaphorical neologism has become generally used in the source language (download).

Original metaphors, which are created by the writer or speaker usually to make discourse more interesting and often used to highlight particular points or as reiteration.

Strategies for translating Metaphor

While dead metaphors are not especially problematical, literal translation is often not possible. In vocative texts, clich metaphors should be upheld in the target text. Only in informative texts, they should be reduced to sense or replaced with a more credible stock metaphor.

For the translation of stock metaphors, the SL image should be legitimately reproduced in the TL but the metonyms used may be transferred as long as the substitutes have the same connotations as in the SL. Stock metaphors may also be reduced to sense or literal language.

Adapted metaphors should be translated using equivalent adapted metaphors or reduced to sense.

Recent metaphors should be translated using componential analysis.

In vocative texts, original metaphors should be translated literally. If the metaphor is obscure and of little importance to the text, it should be replaced with a descriptive metaphor or reduced to sense.

In informative texts, consideration should be given to the number and variety of original metaphors in the text as a whole and a decision be taken between literal translation, reduction to sense or modification of the metaphor.

Examples of metaphors

Family metaphors

Brother 1:Hi, Bro Shared culture makes for kin.Brother 2: Brother Paul said his prayers. Shared religion makes for kin.Sister 1: The company had a sister factory in Trenton. Similar purpose makes for kin.Mother 1:Necessity is the mother of invention. Invention is a (brain) child.Infant:The Iraq democracy is in its infancy.Life begins after one is born.

Computer metaphors

Window:A program exists in an outside space.Desktop:A visual surface is a physical surface.Open/Close:Windows, programs and ports may be opened or closed. File: Data is physical and discrete, occupying space.Folder: A folder may have any number of files within. Files are objects that can be grouped.Space: Data takes up physical space.Port: Data transfers on a liquid.Tools:Data is physically altered by a program.

Cooking metaphors

Grill: The lawyer grilled the witness on the stand. Tough questions create a damaging level of heat.

Fry: She knew she was fried when the teacher handed back her paper. Like grill, this involves higher temperatures.

Recipe: A recipe for disaster. A disaster is the finished product of bad ingredients and processes.

Raw: She had a raw talent for music. Talent is only potential, and must be developed (cooked).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes a subject by asserting that it is, on some point of comparison, the same as another otherwise unrelated object. Metaphor is a type of analogy and is closely related to other rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via association, comparison or resemblance including allegory, hyperbole, and simile.In simpler terms, a metaphor compares two objects/things without using the words "like" or "as".One of the most prominent examples of a metaphor in English literature is the All the world's a stage monologue from As You Like It:All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players;They have their exits and their entrances;William Shakespeare, As You Like It, 2/7[1]This quotation contains a metaphor because the world is not literally a stage. By figuratively asserting that the world is a stage, Shakespeare uses the points of comparison between the world and a stage to convey an understanding about the mechanics of the world and the lives of the people within it.An example relating to law and economics is the metaphor used by Plato: "But those who have loved their money are twice as attached to it as others; for as poets love their poems and fathers their children, just so do money-makers love their money, not only for its use, as do others, but because it is their own production."[2] Here he is alluding to the idea of "having" which is a concept that lead to the significance of possession.Contents [hide] 1 Structure2 Etymology3 Comparison with other types of analogy4 Common types5 Uses outside of rhetoric5.1 Conceptual metaphors5.2 Nonlinguistic metaphors6 In historical linguistics7 Historical theories of metaphor7.1 Metaphor as style in speech and writing7.2 Metaphor as foundational to our conceptual system8 Metaphors and consequences9 See also10 Notes11 References12 External linksStructure[edit]

The Philosophy of Rhetoric (1936) by I. A. Richards describes a metaphor as having two parts: the tenor and the vehicle. The tenor is the subject to which attributes are ascribed. The vehicle is the object whose attributes are borrowed. In the previous example, "the world" is compared to a stage, describing it with the attributes of "the stage"; "the world" is the tenor, and "a stage" is the vehicle; "men and women" is a secondary tenor, "players" is the secondary vehicle.Other writers employ the general terms ground and figure to denote tenor and the vehicle. In cognitive linguistics, the terms target and source are used respectively.Etymology[edit]

The English metaphor derives from the 16th-century Old French mtaphore, which comes from the Latin metaphora, "carrying over", in turn from the Greek (metaphor), "transfer",[3] from (metapher), "to carry over", "to transfer"[4] and that from (meta), "between"[5] + (pher), "to bear", "to carry".[6]Comparison with other types of analogy[edit]

Metaphors are most frequently compared with similes. The Colombia Encyclopedia, 6th edition, explains the difference as:a simile states that A is like B, a metaphor states that A is B or substitutes B for A.Where a metaphor asserts the two objects in the comparison are identical on the point of comparison, a simile merely asserts a similarity. For this reason a metaphor is generally considered more forceful than a simile.The metaphor category also contains these specialised types:Allegory: An extended metaphor wherein a story illustrates an important attribute of the subject.Catachresis: A mixed metaphor used by design and accident (a rhetorical fault).Parable: An extended metaphor narrated as an anecdote illustrating and teaching such as in Aesop's fables, or Jesus' teaching method as told in the Bible.Pun: Similar to a metaphor, a pun alludes to another term. However the main difference is that a pun is a frivolous allusion between two different things whereas a metaphor is a purposeful allusion between two different things.[7]Metaphor, like other types of analogy, can usefully be distinguished from metonymy as one of two fundamental modes of thought. Metaphor and analogy both work by bringing together two concepts from different conceptual domains, whereas metonymy works by using one element from a given domain to refer to another closely related element. Thus, a metaphor creates new links between otherwise distinct conceptual domains, whereas a metonymy relies on the existing links within them.Common types[edit]

A dead metaphor is one in which the sense of a transferred image is absent. Examples: "to grasp a concept" and "to gather what you've understood" use physical action as a metaphor for understanding. Most people do not visualize the actiondead metaphors normally go unnoticed. Some people distinguish between a dead metaphor and a clich. Others use "dead metaphor" to denote both.A mixed metaphor is one that leaps from one identification to a second identification inconsistent with the first. "I smell a rat [...] but I'll nip him in the bud"Irish politician Boyle Roche. This form is often used as a parody of metaphor itself: "If we can hit that bull's-eye then the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards... Checkmate." Futurama character Zapp Brannigan.[8]Uses outside of rhetoric[edit]

A metaphorical visualization of the word anger.The term metaphor is also used for the following terms that are not a part of rhetoric:A cognitive metaphor is the association of object to an experience outside the object's environmentA conceptual metaphor is an underlying association that is systematic in both language and thoughtA root metaphor is the underlying worldview that shapes an individual's understanding of a situationA nonlinguistic metaphor is an association between two nonlinguistic realms of experienceA visual metaphor uses an image to create the link between different ideasMetaphors can also be implied and extended throughout pieces of literature.Conceptual metaphors[edit]Main article: Conceptual metaphorSome theorists have suggested that metaphors are not merely stylistic, but that they are cognitively important as well. In Metaphors We Live By George Lakoff and Mark Johnson argue that metaphors are pervasive in everyday life, not just in language, but also in thought and action. A common definition of a metaphor can be described as a comparison that shows how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in another important way. They explain how a metaphor is simply understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another. The authors call this concept a "conduit metaphor". By this they meant that a speaker can put ideas or objects into words or containers, and then send them along a channel, or conduit, to a listener who takes that idea or object out of the container and makes meaning of it. In other words, communication is something that ideas go into. The container is separate from the ideas themselves. Lakoff and Johnson give several examples of daily metaphors we use, such as "argument is war" and "time is money". Metaphors are widely used in context to describe personal meaning. The authors also suggest that communication can be viewed as a machine: "Communication is not what one does with the machine, but is the machine itself." (Johnson, Lakoff, 1980).[9]Nonlinguistic metaphors[edit]Metaphors can also map experience between two nonlinguistic realms. In The Dream Frontier, Mark Blechner describes musical metaphors, in which a piece of music can "map" to the personality and emotional life of a person.[10] Musicologist Leonard Meyer demonstrated how purely rhythmic and harmonic events can express human emotions.[11]Art theorist Robert Vischer argued that when we look at a painting, we "feel ourselves into it" by imagining our body in the posture of a nonhuman or inanimate object in the painting. For example, the painting "The Solitary Tree" by Caspar David Friedrich shows a tree with contorted, barren limbs.[12][13] In looking at that painting, we imagine our limbs in a similarly contorted and barren shape, and that creates a feeling in us of strain and distress. Nonlinguistic metaphors may be the foundation of our experience of visual, musical,[14] dance,[15] and other art forms.In historical linguistics[edit]

In historical onomasiology or, more generally, in historical linguistics, metaphor is defined as semantic change based on similarity, i.e., a similarity in form or function between the original concept named by a word and the target concept named by this word.[16]ex. mouse: small, gray rodent small, gray, mouse-shaped computer device.Some recent linguistic theories view language as by its nature all metaphorical; or that language in essence is metaphorical.[17]Historical theories of metaphor[edit]

Metaphor as style in speech and writing[edit]

Tombstone of a Jewish woman depicted by broken candles a metaphor of the end of life.Viewed as an aspect of speech and writing, metaphor qualifies as style, in particular, style characterized by a type of analogy. An expression (word, phrase) that by implication suggests the likeness of one entity to another entity gives style to an item of speech or writing, whether the entities consist of objects, events, ideas, activities, attributes, or almost anything expressible in language. For example, in the first sentence of this paragraph, the word "viewed" serves as a metaphor for "thought of", implying analogy of the process of seeing and the thought process. The phrase, "viewed as an aspect of", projects the properties of seeing (vision) something from a particular perspective onto thinking about something from a particular perspective, that "something" in this case referring to "metaphor" and that "perspective" in this case referring to the characteristics of speech and writing.As a characteristic of speech and writing, metaphors can serve the poetic imagination, Sylvia Plath, in her poem "Cut", to compare the blood issuing from her cut thumb to the running of a million soldiers, "redcoats, every one";[18][19] and, enabling Robert Frost, in "The Road Not Taken", to compare one's life to a journey.[20]Viewed also as an aspect of speech, metaphor can serve as a device for persuading the listener or reader of the speaker or writer's argument or thesis, the so-called rhetorical metaphor.Metaphor as foundational to our conceptual system[edit]Cognitive linguists emphasize that metaphors serve to facilitate the understanding of one conceptual domain, typically an abstract one like "life" or "theories" or "ideas", through expressions that relate to another, more familiar conceptual domain, typically a more concrete one like "journey" or "buildings" or "food".[21][22] Food for thought: we devour a book of raw facts, try to digest them, stew over them, let them simmer on the back-burner, regurgitate them in discussions, cook up explanations, hoping they do not seem half-baked. Theories as buildings: we establish a foundation for them, a framework, support them with strong arguments, buttressing them with facts, hoping they will stand. Life as journey: some of us travel hopefully, others seem to have no direction, many lose their way.A convenient short-hand way of capturing this view of metaphor is the following: CONCEPTUAL DOMAIN (A) IS CONCEPTUAL DOMAIN (B), which is what is called a conceptual metaphor. A conceptual metaphor consists of two conceptual domains, in which one domain is understood in terms of another. A conceptual domain is any coherent organization of experience. Thus, for example, we have coherently organized knowledge about journeys that we rely on in understanding life.[22]Lakoff and Johnson (1980, 1999) greatly contributed to establishing the importance of conceptual metaphor as a framework for thinking in language. In recent years many scholars have investigated the original ways in which writers use novel metaphors and question the fundamental frameworks of thinking implicit in conceptual metaphors.When considering the role conceptual metaphor plays in the worldview of the community, the problem becomes twofold. From a sociological, cultural, or philosophical perspective, the question becomes, to what extent ideologies maintain and impose conceptual patterns of thought by introducing, supporting, and adapting fundamental patterns of thinking metaphorically. To what extent does the ideology fashion and refashion the idea of the nation as a container with borders? How are enemies and outsiders represented? As diseases? As attackers? How are the metaphoric paths of fate, destiny, history, and progress represented? As the opening of an eternal monumental moment (German fascism)? Or as the path to communism (in Russian or Czech for example)?Though cognitive scholars have made some attempts to take on board the idea that different languages have evolved radically different concepts and conceptual metaphors, they have on the whole remained tied up in the somewhat reductive concept of worldview which derives from the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. The true source of ethnolinguistics and the thinker who contributed most to the debate on the relationship between culture, language, and linguistic communities was the German philologist Wilhelm von Humboldt (17671835). Humboldt remains, however, little known in English-speaking nations. Andrew Goatly, in "Washing the Brain" (John Benjaminns 2007) does take on board the dual problem of conceptual metaphor as a framework implicit in the language as a system, and the way individuals and ideologies negotiate conceptual metaphors.James W. Underhill, in Creating Worldviews: Ideology, Metaphor & Language (Edinburgh UP), considers the way individual speech adopts and reinforces certain metaphoric paradigms. This involves a critique of both communist and fascist discourse. But Underhill's studies are situated in Czech and German, which allows him to demonstrate the ways individuals are both thinking "within", and resisting the modes by which ideologies seek to appropriate key concepts such as "the people", "the state", "history", and "struggle".Though metaphors can be considered to be "in" language, Underhill's chapter on French, English and ethnolinguistics demonstrates that we cannot conceive of language or languages in anything other than metaphoric terms. French is a treasure, for example. English is a "tool" for liberating minorities engaging in debate in the global world. Underhill continues his investigation of the relationship between worldview and language in Ethnolinguistics and Cultural Concepts: Truth, Love, Hate & War (Cambridge UP 2012).Metaphors and consequences[edit]

There are deep implications of metaphors in science. They employ us to see events in different ways.For example, conventional wisdom holds that sperm attacks the egg during fertilization. Hardly anyone questions this because of the various metaphors that are attached to fertilization. Some of these metaphors describe the sperm as: warrior, torpedo, active, penetrating, a key, and Prince Charming. The egg is referred to as: damsel in distress, target, passive, inert, a lock, and Sleeping Beauty. In Chapter 5 of The Gender and Science Reader, Hubbard argues that in order to free ourselves from debilitating misrepresentations, we need to understand the ideological base of the medical/scientific misinformation and disinformation we get about how genes, hormones, and muscles function.[23]

http://grammar.about.com/od/rhetoricstyle/a/13metaphors.htm Thirteen Ways of Looking at a MetaphorThe Different Types of MetaphorsByRichard NordquistSee More About rhetoric & style glossary of rhetorical terms figures of speech metaphors

Metaphors aren't merely the candy sprinkles on the doughnut of language.See More About rhetoric & style glossary of rhetorical terms figures of speech metaphorsMetaphorsaren't merely the candy sprinkles on the doughnut oflanguage, not just embellishments to the music of poetry and prose. Metaphors (as discussed inWhat Is a Metaphor?) are ways of thinking--and also ways of shaping the thoughts of others.All of us, every day, speak and write and think in metaphors. In fact, it's hard to imagine how we'd get by without them. And becausefigurativecomparisons lie at the heart of language and thought, they have been pinned down and picked apart by scholars in a wide variety of disciplines.Of course, everyone knows what happens when gangs of professors set about to study a subject intensely. They analyze, classify, describe, explain, evaluate, and inevitably rename whatever it is they have been looking at.And so it has been with metaphors. There are countless ways of looking at them, thinking about them, and using them. But in deference to themetaphorical blackbirds of Wallace Stevens("The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds./It was a small part of the pantomime"), here are just 13 of them. (For examples of each type of metaphor, follow the links.)1. Absolute MetaphorA metaphor in which one of the terms (thetenor) can't be readily distinguished from the other (thevehicle).

2. Complex MetaphorA metaphor in which theliteral meaningis expressed through more than one figurative term (a combination ofprimary metaphors).

3. Conceptual MetaphorA metaphor in which one idea (orconceptual domain) is understood in terms of another.

4. Conventional MetaphorA familiar comparison that doesn't call attention to itself as afigure of speech.

5. Creative MetaphorAn original comparison that does call attention to itself as a figure of speech.

6. Dead MetaphorA figure of speech that has lost its force and imaginative effectiveness through frequent use.

7. Extended MetaphorA comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem.

8. Mixed MetaphorA succession of incongruous or ludicrous comparisons.

9. Primary MetaphorA basic, intuitively understood metaphor--such as KNOWING IS SEEING or TIME IS MOTION--that may be combined with other primary metaphors to producecomplex metaphors.

10. Root MetaphorAnimage,narrative, or fact that shapes an individual's perception of the world and interpretation of reality.

11. Submerged MetaphorA type of metaphor in which one of the terms (either thevehicleortenor) is implied rather than stated explicitly.

12. Therapeutic MetaphorA metaphor used by a therapist to assist a client in the process of personal transformation.

13. Visual MetaphorThe representation of a person, place, thing, or idea by way of a visualimagethat suggests a particular association or point of similarity.Regardless of the types of metaphors you favor, keep in mind Aristotle's observation 2,500 years ago inRhetoric: "Those words are most pleasant which give us new knowledge. Strange words have no meaning for us; common terms we know already. It is metaphor which gives us most of this pleasure."Figurative Language Top 20 Figures of Speech Figures, Tropes, and Other Rhetorical Terms Homer Simpson's Figures of SpeechMetaphors Be With You What Is a Metaphor? "House" Calls: The Metaphors of Dr. Gregory House Using Similes and Metaphors to Enrich Our WritingMore Metaphors Burlesque Metaphors Ontological Metaphors Twenty Metaphors About Time

http://english.answers.com/figures-of-speech/the-15-types-of-metaphors The 15 Types of MetaphorsTweetRedditA metaphor is a uniquely effective and memorable form of language. The definition is simply the use of words to apply a symbol or thought to a subject which would not ordinarily be paired. Metaphors allow a word or phrase within a sentence to symbolize something else. For instance, the phrase "food for thought" does not imply that you must eat to think, but that an idea or concept could be used to energize other thoughts on the matter. There are 15 types of metaphors, each harboring its own linguistic treasure.What is an Absolute Metaphor?With an absolute metaphor, there is no relation between the subject and the metaphoric word itself. For instance, some people say, "Oh, no! I am toast." Of course, the person does not mean that they have been transformed into hot, dry bread. Rather this is a metaphor for the feeling of being in trouble. Other types of metaphors, non-absolute metaphors, have at least some relation between the subject and the metaphoric vehicle.What is an Active Metaphor?An active metaphor is a type of metaphor often used in poetry and speeches to incite thought. While active metaphors may sometimes be mistaken for absolute metaphors, there is still some relation between the subject and descriptive words. Shakespeare, for example, has a famous active metaphor in "Romeo and Juliet," "Let me compare thee to a summer's day." While the metaphor may not appear directly connected at first, you can see how this phrase is used to compliment a woman on her warmth and beauty, thereby making the metaphor connected and non-absolute.Sponsored From Around The Web

Tricks Car Insurance Agents Don't Want You to Know

What Happens When You Take a Testosterone Supplement

A New Solution That Stops Snoring and Lets You Sleep

What's Your Shoe Personality?

Probiotics: The Surprising New Way to Lose Weight

?DID YOU KNOW?The word "metaphor" has an interesting etymology. Metaphor came to the English language in the 16th century through the French word metaphore, which came from the Latin word for "carrying over." This, in turn, came from the Greek word for "transfer," or "to bear."What is a Complex Metaphor?This type of metaphor takes a simple metaphor and adds to the complexity of it. Complex metaphors are often used in riddles, because when they are overly complex, it is easy to become confused as to what the intended meaning might be. For example, "He felt the steam rising" is used as a metaphor for growing angry. In this case, "steam" symbolizes the feeling of anger and "rising" represents how that feeling of anger grows. Another example is "throwing light on the situation," where "light" is used to symbolize understanding and "throwing" represents the application of said understanding to the situation at hand.What is a Compound Metaphor?A compound metaphor is a type of metaphor that often uses adverbs and adjectives to entice the reader or listener. Also known as the loose metaphor, a compound metaphor uses descriptive words in succession. For instance, "The closet was a dark, gaping hole in which the mountain of his shoes had gathered" utilizes a compound metaphor to describe a closet.What are Dead, Dormant, and Dying Metaphors?A dead metaphor is a type of metaphor that is so outdated that the meaning has been lost in time. There are many words in the English language that are now considered dead metaphors. On such word is "fabulous," which once meant that whatever subject the word described must be worthy of a story or fable. Now it is used similarly to the word "great." A dormant metaphor is one in which the subject and descriptive word or words are not made clear in relations, such as the phrase, "She seemed rattled." This leads to the questions of "By what? Or whom?" A dying metaphor is one that is being used so much that it is becoming cliche. The original meanings of dying metaphors are in jeopardy of being lost. One example is the phrase, "Setting sail into a new career."What is an Extended Metaphor?This type of metaphor takes a single subject and uses multiple metaphors to describe it. Extended metaphors are often used in powerful scenes or lines that are meant to be memorable. "This bed is my raft, and I am adrift in the sea of dreams," is one example of an extended metaphor. There is little confusion, but much embellishment.What is an Implicit Metaphor?An implicit metaphor does not identify the subject directly, but is used more in the sense that the subject will be understood by the description. An example of this type of metaphor would be, "Ready to hit the sack!" The implicit metaphor is similar to the dead and dying metaphors, but still lies within the range of common knowledge as far as descriptive subject matter goes.What is a Mixed Metaphor?This type of metaphor is not consistent with itself within the sentence. The statement, "A rolling stone gathers no bird in the hand," is a mixed metaphor in that it takes two metaphors to describe a concept, but leaves room for clarification. Mixed metaphors are often frowned upon in use, since they are not poetic, nor are they very thought provoking.What is a Pataphor?A pataphor is a type of metaphor that takes the metaphoric qualities to the edge of clarity. It is an extreme metaphor and is often used to express excitement. One example of a pataphor is, "He galloped into the kitchen, snorted at the food on the table, turned his tail, and ran." The pataphor here describes a boy with the actions of a horse. If the metaphoric values are taken too far, though, it can be confusing as to whether the subject is actually a boy or an animal.What is a Simple Metaphor?This is a type of metaphor that has a single subject and direct correlation with the metaphoric description. The simple metaphor is rarely confusing and is used to convey simple ideas. One example of a simple metaphor is, "I'll sleep on it." There is no embellishment to this metaphor; the simple metaphor is straightforward.What is a Root Metaphor?This is one type of metaphor that may be difficult to identify. The root metaphor is "rooted" into the language. These metaphors are mostly noted by foreigners to the region or language. For example, "Life is a journey," is a root metaphor is often overlooked by English natives. It is, however, still a metaphor.What is a Submerged and Synechdochic Metaphor?The submerged metaphor is one in which the metaphoric vehicle is deep in meaning or requires a deeper understanding of the metaphoric meaning. One example of a submerged metaphor is, "He legged it," which really means he ran whatever distance there was. A synechdochic metaphor, on the other hand, is where the singular metaphoric vehicle is used to describe a whole entity or concept. For example, "Nice wheels!" is a compliment to someone's car. These two types of metaphors are similar in application, but different in approach.Metaphors are used in some of the most renowned poetry, fiction, and speeches. The anatomy of metaphor differs to accommodate the feelings, emotions, concepts, or events that can be described to their fullest with the use of symbolism. The 15 types of metaphors can be found everywhere from classic literature to everyday slang. Understanding how these metaphors work can help you write or speak your way through either mundane or important events in an eloquent and intriguing manner.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-metaphors.htm What Are the Different Types of Metaphors?

Shakespeare used all types of metaphors in his writings.Watch the Did-You-Know slideshowFollow @wiseGEEKArticle Details Written By:Bobby R. Goldsmith Edited By:Susan Barwick Last Modified Date:15 January 2014 Copyright Protected:2003-2014Conjecture Corporation Top of FormPrint this ArticleBottom of FormFree Widgets for your Site/BlogDid You Know?Less than 20% of French adults regularly consume wine, down from about 50% in the early 1980s.more...get widget

This Day in HistoryJanuary 22,1905:The first Russian Revolution began.more...get widget

Subscribe to wiseGEEKLearn something new every dayMore Info...by emailTop of Form

Bottom of FormMetaphor is a rhetorical device used to compare two dissimilar objects or ideas in an implication that establishes an equivalency between the two. There are numerous types of metaphors. They are used in both classic rhetorical constructions and in everyday casual language. The degree of the comparison dictates what type of metaphor it is. Though there are more than a dozen distinct types of metaphors, there are five primary types: allegorical, absolute, mixed, extended, and dead metaphors.Allegory is a metaphor that employs an extended story illustrating the comparison between two things using symbols rather than explicit words. An allegory in literature often presents the overt elements of a given story along with subtle, nuanced commentary for other events that the author wishes to show an equivalency with. For example, an element of the novelThe Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobeis considered an allegory for the resurrection of Christ.Absolute metaphor, compared with other types, cannot be obfuscated or reduced in any way. An absolute metaphor presents a simple equivalency, such as light standing for knowledge or snow indicating purity. Absolute metaphors can be symbolic or literal, and they differ from other types of metaphors in that they cannot be replaced by other metaphoric constructions.Mixed metaphoris one of the most common types of metaphors, yet they may be difficult to understand. A mixed metaphor is the blending of two contradictory elements that are completely inconsistent in type, yet the symbolic meaning of the comparison is still conveyed. Sometimes the mixed metaphor can be employed intentionally for effect. For example, "There's no place like a home on the range" blends two well-known idioms.Extended metaphorpresents a complex comparison with multiple objects. It compares a primary object with a symbolic object, then compares secondary objects connected to the primary with other elements of the symbolic object. For example,Shakespeare's famous "All the world's a stage, And the men and women merely players" is an extended metaphor, in which the "world" and the "stage" act as the primary objects, while "we" and "players" represent the secondary objects.Dead metaphor offers a comparison that is not symbolic in form, but to physical motion instead. A dead metaphor is simply a comparison that goes unnoticed because the metaphor rests on a comparison that has simply become part of the language. It often involves the use of an idiom. For example, the sentence "the committee will hold a meeting" is a dead metaphor with respect to the word hold. The committee cannot physically grasp the meeting, but the word is being used to equate a physical action with a conceptual one.

http://changingminds.org/techniques/language/metaphor/types_metaphor.htm Types of metaphorTechniques>Use of language>Metaphor> Types of metaphorMetaphors can be classified in a range of different ways, based on various criteria, from complexity to level of usage. Absolute metaphor: Separated subject and vehicle. Active metaphor: New and not established. Complex metaphor: Multi-layered. Compound metaphor: With many parts. Dead metaphor: Normal language, no longer recognized as metaphor. Dormant metaphor: Weak connection between vehicle and subject. Dying metaphor: Unfashionable clich. Extended metaphor: One subject, many sub-elements. Implicit metaphor: Incomplete description. Mixed metaphor: Mismatched combination of metaphors. Pataphor: Extreme form of metaphor. Root metaphor: Unrealized basic driver. Simple metaphor: Single meaning and linkage. Submerged metaphor: Use a part as a metaphor for something else. Synechdochic metaphor: Use a part as metaphor for the whole.