《英语修辞学》第六章

1.2 In the sixteenth century:
The term “figure of speech” was the synonym of “scheme”. Schemes comprised the figures that arranged words into schematized(格式化的、 公式化的) patterns of foregrounded（置于最突出位置的、最显著的）
language more colorful, more forceful, or more explicit, and thus making communication more efficient and more effective.
For example: (1) a. Stars twinkle like diamonds in the sky. b. Stars shine brightly in the sky. (2) a. Imperialism is a paper tiger.
Of Speech
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4. Use figures of speech in a right way
Figures of speech add vigor and emphasis to language, but we cannot depend much on them. Figures of speech are aids to, not ends of, writing and speaking. They should be appropriately used. If used casually or excessively, almost any of them will probably seem affected, dull, awkward, or
(2) those involving physical organization, transition, and disposition or arrangement
(3) those involving decoration and variety
But, there is also some problem in such classification. E.g. Parallelism belongs to all three categories.
（Pun）(Here "arms" has two meanings: a person's body; weapons carried by a soldier.)
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2 Why are figures of speech used
Figures of speech aim at increasing vividness of language. They are used to embellish, emphasize or clarify expressions, to make the
(3) To smoke or not to smoke, that is a question．(Parody) (4) Speech is silver; silence is golden. （Antithesis）
(5) A cannon-ball took off his legs, so he laid down his arms.
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2) In the textbook, the author introduces Figures of Speech as follows:
Phonetic Figures Of Speech Syntactic Figures Of Speech
Figures Of Speech
Semantic Figures Of Speech Logical Figures
3. The classification of figures of speech
4. Use figures of speech in a right way
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1. What is a figure of speech
1.1 In classical rhetoric:
The f,比喻). Tropes have to do with the way words are made to mean other than what they
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1.4 Today:
Figures of speech refer to all kinds of striking or unusual configurations of words or phrases. They involve the variation of any unit of the language system: graphic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic. For example: (1) The news is a dagger to his heart. (2) Give us this day our daily bread. (metaphor) (synecdoche)
English Rhetoric
Chapter One Introduction: Figures of Speech
By Song Pingfeng
Contents of This Chapter
1. What is a figure of speech
2. Why are figures of speech used
of semantics” which was further divided into “word semantics” and “discourse semantics”.
FIGURE
Scheme (syntax, e.g. parison)
Trope
(semantics)
(word-meaning, e.g.
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3. The classification of figures of speech
1) Figures of speech, according to their function, fall into three categories:
(1) those involving emphasis, association, clarification, and focus.
would normally imply, involving the deviation from its ordinary and
literal meaning. They are ways of making language figurative. Tropes include metaphor, irony, and synecdoche（提喻）.
b. Imperialism appears to be strong but inwardly it is weak.
(3) a. The experiment ended in failure again. It was a blow between the eyes to them. b. The experiment ended in failure again. It was a sudden shock to them.
regularity of form, syntactic or phonetic.
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1.3 According to Walter Nash:
The “figure” is the superordinate term (上义词) , applicable to any rhetorical device. He divided it into “figures of syntax” and “figures
mechanical.
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metaphor)
(discourse sense
or mode, e.g. irony
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Figures of speech are just common and our everyday usage is naturally figurative, or at least figurative by preference(偏爱 ). E.g. Now and then of a lunchtime I’ll take a glass ----two glasses and I’ll take to my bed. Metonymy: involving the substitution of one thing for that of another. People often use the container as a name for the substance. E.g. The kettle is boiling. Therefore, Glass here refers to the wine or alcohol. Syllepsis(一语双叙): acquring different meanings with different collocations in the sentence. 1. take: drink; 2. take:生病卧床 More example: He lost his coat and his temper. Yesterday, he had a blue heart and coat.