Synecdoche is closely related to metonymy (the figure of speech in which a term denoting one thing is used to refer to a related thing); indeed, synecdoche is sometimes considered a subclass of metonymy. It is more distantly related to other figures of speech, such as metaphor.
More rigorously, metonymy and synecdoche may be considered as sub-species of metaphor, intending metaphor as a type of conceptual substitution (as Quintilian does in Institutio oratoria Book VIII). In Lanham's Handlist of Rhetorical Terms,[2] the three terms have somewhat restrictive definitions, arguably in tune with a certain interpretation of their etymologies from Greek:
- metaphor: changing a word from its literal meaning to one not properly applicable but analogous to it; assertion of identity rather than, as with simile, likeness.
- metonymy: substitution of cause for effect, proper name for one of its qualities, etc.
- synecdoche: substitution of a part for whole, species for genus, etc.
Etymology
The word "synecdoche" is derived from the Greek word συνεκδοχή, from the prepositions συν- + εκ- and the verb δέχομαι (= "I accept"), originally meaning accepting a part as responsible for the whole, or vice versa.
Use
The use of synecdoche is a common way to emphasize an important aspect of a fictional character; for example, a character might be consistently described by a single body part, such as the eyes, which come to represent the character. This is often used when the main character does not know or care about the names of the characters that he/she is referring to.
Also, sonnets and other forms of love poetry frequently use synecdoches to characterize the beloved in terms of individual body parts rather than a whole, coherent self. This practice is especially common in the Petrarchan sonnet, where the idealised beloved is often described part by part, from head to toe.
Examples
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- Where a part refers to the whole:
- "White hair" for an elderly person
- "Fingers" or "Legs" as a nickname
- "Wheels" referring to a car
- "A pair of hands" referring to a worker
- "Old Blue Eyes" to refer to Frank Sinatra
- "The White House" referring to the executive branch of the United States government
- Where a whole thing is used to refer to a part of it:
- "The city" passing a law, meaning that the local government has passed a law
- "Washington" referring to the federal government
- A general class name used to denote a specific member of that or an associated class
- "Truck" for any four-wheel drive vehicle (as well as long-haul trailers etc.)
- A specific class name used to refer to a general set of associated things
- "Land Rover" for all four-wheel drive vehicle
- "Thermos" for any kind of vacuum flask for holding a hot drink
- "John Hancock" for the signature of any person
- "Bug" for any kind of insect or spider
- "Coke" for any variety of cola
- "Kleenex" for any brand of facial tissue
- "Contiki" for any guided tour
- "Band-Aid" for any brand of adhesive bandages
- Using the material a thing is made of to refer to that thing:
- "Willow" for cricket bat,
- "Plastic" for credit card,
- "Pigskin" for an American or Canadian football, from the early use of a pig's bladder to cover those balls
- "Iron" for a clothes iron
- "Lead" for bullets
- "Rubber" for a condom
See also
- Conceptual metaphor
- Figure of speech
- Hendiadys
- Holonymy
- Hyponymy
- Meronymy
- Faulty generalization (List of fallacies#Faulty generalizations)
- Fallacy of division
References
- Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920). Greek Grammar. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 683. ISBN 0-674-36250-0.
- ^ Synecdoche - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- ^ Lanham, Richard A (1991). A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms: A Guide for Students of English Literature, Second Edition. Berkeley/Los Angeles/London: California University Press. pp. 189. ISBN 0-520-07669-9.
External links
Categories: Rhetoric | Figures of speech | Synecdoche
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guardian.co.uk
Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche , New York is a feelbad classic. I've seen it twice and urge you to do the same. Both times it gave me a mid-life crisis. ...
and more »
Jessie
Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:58:00 GM
This all happened mostly by accident. On Elizabeth and Jamal's last day here, we went to Twister's for lunch. Massive burritos. More food than I would normally eat for a lunch. And Jamal made us kabobs for dinner. ...
