Figurative Language Analysis

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The language that uses figures of speech is called ‘figurative language’ and “Its purpose is to serve three elements of clarity, froth and beauty in the language” (Tajali, 2003:100). However, as any figure of speech has a figurative meaning, it may cause ambiguity which influences the clarity. To appeal more really to our understanding and imagination, poets use picture- Giving word patterns that are called figure of speech. Figurative language (FL) has approximately definite features which make it changed from nonfigurative. Language. For example, metaphor and simile typically contain an exaggeration in their comparison as below: 1. FL: He was a lion (metaphor). 2. Non FL: Lion is an animal (ordinary sentence). 3. FL: That chair is a weighty …show more content…

Unlike a metaphor, a simile inducements similarity through the help of the words “like” or “as”. For example, 1. FL: Marine foam is like a pearl on the shore's neck (simile). 2. Non FL: Marine foam derives toward the shore (ordinary sentence). 3. The pearl is the symbol of light, wealth, knowledge and whiteness in literature. Western Rhetoricians categories two types of figure of speech; one is scheme, 'meaning form', which changes the ordinary pattern of words, like apostrophe, hyperbole, ellipsis, and antithesis. The phrase 'Jack, my greatest friend' is a scheme using 'apposition.' Other is the trope, literally meaning 'to turn', that changes the over-all sense of words, like metaphor, simile, satire, allegory, irony, symbol, and paradox. The trope 'Elizabeth is as attractive as rose’s an instance of simile. There are so many classifications of figures of speech, as some rhetoricians have classified them into as many as 250 separate figures. Metaphor, simile and symbols are the most essential figures of speech in almost all languages. Richards (1965:105) said "the two most common figures of speech are simile and metaphor, but there are many other less common ones, like