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The figurative meaning of the word. The figurative meaning of the word: examples

The main means of giving a word imagery is the use of it V figurative meaning . The play of direct and figurative meaning generates both aesthetic and expressive effects literary text, makes this text figurative and expressive.

Based on the nominative (nominal) function of a word and its connection with the subject in the process of cognition of reality, a distinction is made between direct (basic, main, primary, initial) and figurative (derived, secondary, indirect) meanings.

In the derivative meaning, the main, direct meaning and the new, indirect meaning, which appeared as a result of the transfer of the name from one object to another, are combined and coexist. If the word is in direct meaning directly (directly) indicates this or that object, action, property, etc., naming them, then the words in portable meaning, an object is no longer named directly, but through certain comparisons and associations that arise in the minds of native speakers.

AIR– 1) ‘adj. To air (air jet)’;

2) ‘light, weightless ( airy dress)’.

The appearance of figurative meanings in a word allows one to save lexical means of the language without endlessly expanding the vocabulary to denote new phenomena and concepts. If there are some common features between two objects, the name from one, already known, is transferred to another object, newly created, invented or known, which did not have a name before:

DIM– 1) ‘opaque, cloudy ( dim glass)’;

2) ‘matte, not shiny ( dull hairspray, dull hair)’;

3) ‘weak, not bright ( dim light, dull colors)’;

4) ‘lifeless, expressionless ( dull look, dull style)’.

D.N. Shmelev believes that the direct, basic meaning is the one that is not determined by the context (most determined paradigmatically and least syntagmatically):

ROAD– 1) ‘a route of communication, a strip of land intended for movement’;

2) ‘travel, trip’;

3) ‘route’;

4) ‘means achievements of some kind. goals'.

All secondary, figurative meanings depend on the context, on compatibility with other words: get ready for the road('trip'), direct road to success, road to Moscow.

Historically, the relationship between direct, primary and figurative, secondary meaning may change. Thus, in modern Russian the primary meanings for words have not been preserved consume(‘eat, eat’), dense('dormant'), vale('valley'). Word thirst in our time, the main literal meaning is ‘need to drink’ and figurative ‘strong, passionate desire’, but Old Russian texts indicate the primacy of the second, more abstract meaning, since the adjective is often used next to it water.

Paths for transferring values

The transfer of meaning can be carried out in two main ways: metaphorical and metonymic.

Metaphor- this is the transfer of names based on the similarity of features and concepts (metaphor - unexpressed comparison): pin stars; what comb won't you comb your head?

Signs of metaphorical transfer:

by color similarity ( gold leaves);
by similarity of shape ( ring boulevards);
by similarity of object location ( nose boats, sleeve rivers);
by similarity of actions ( rain drums, wrinkles plow face);
by similarity of sensations, emotional associations ( gold character, velvet voice);
by similarity of functions ( electric candle in the lamp extinguish/ignite light, wipers in the car).

This classification is quite arbitrary. The proof is a transfer based on several criteria: leg chair(form, place); ladle excavator(function, form).

There are other classifications. For example, prof. Galina Al-dr. Cherkasova considers metaphorical transfer in connection with the category of animateness/inanimateness:

the action of an inanimate object is transferred to another inanimate object ( fireplace– ‘room stove’ and ‘electric heating device’; wing– ‘birds’, ‘airplane blade, mill’, ‘side extension’);
animate - also on an animate object, but of a different group ( bear, snake);
inanimate - to animate ( she blossomed );
animate - to inanimate ( guard– ‘guard ship’).

The main trends in metaphorical transfer: figurative meanings appear in words that are socially significant in given time. During the Great Patriotic War everyday words were used as metaphors to define military concepts: comb forest, get into boiler . Subsequently, on the contrary, military terms were transferred to other concepts: front work, take on weapons . Sports vocabulary gives many figurative meanings: finish, start, knight's move. With the development of astronautics, metaphors appeared finest hour, escape velocity, dock. Currently large number metaphors associated with the computer sphere: mouse, archive, maternal pay etc.

There are models of metaphorical transfer in language: certain groups of words form certain metaphors.

professional characteristics of a person ( artist, craftsman, philosopher, shoemaker, clown, chemist);
names associated with the disease ( ulcer, plague, cholera, delirium);
names of natural phenomena when they are transferred to human life ( spring life, hail tears);
names of household items ( rag, mattress etc.);
transfer of names of animal actions to humans ( bark, moo).

Metonymy(Greek ‘renaming’) is a transfer of name that is based on the contiguity of the characteristics of two or more concepts: paper– ‘document’.

Types of metonymic transfer:

transfer along spatial contiguity ( audience- 'People', Class– ‘children’): (a) transferring the name of the containing to the content ( all village came out city I was all worried embankment, ate plate, read Pushkin ); (b) the name of the material from which the item is made is transferred to the item ( go to silks, V gold; V scarlet And gold clad woods; dancing gold );
transfer by adjacency O th – transferring the name of the action to the result ( dictation, essay, cookies, jam, embroidery);
synecdoche(a) transferring the name of a part of a whole to a whole ( one hundred goals livestock; behind him eye Yes eye needed; he's seven mouths feeds; he is mine right hand ; heart heart gives the news) – often found in proverbs; (b) whole to part ( jasmine– ‘bush’ and ‘flowers’; plum– ‘tree’ and ‘fruit’.

This classification does not cover the entire variety of metonymic transfers that exist in the language.

Sometimes when transferring, the grammatical features of a word are used, for example, plural. number: workers hands, relax on yugas, walk to silks . It is believed that the basis of metonymic transfer is nouns.

In addition to common language figurative values, in language fiction portable ones are also observed use words that are characteristic of the work of a particular writer and are one of the means of artistic representation. For example, from L. Tolstoy: fair And Kind sky(“War and Peace”); at A.P. Chekhov: crumbly ("The Last Mohican") cozy lady(“From the Memoirs of an Idealist”), faded aunties("Hopeless"); in the works of K.G. Paustovsky: shy sky(“Mikhailovskaya Grove”), sleepy dawn("Third Date") molten noon("Romantics") sleepy day("Sea Habit") white-blooded bulb(“Book of Wanderings”); from V. Nabokov: cloudy tense day(“Luzhin’s Defense”), etc.

Like metaphor, metonymy can be individually authored - contextual, i.e. conditioned by the contextual use of the word, it does not exist outside of this context: – You’re so stupid, brother! - she said reproachfully handset (E. Meek); Redheads trousers sigh and think(A.P. Chekhov); Short fur coats, sheepskin coats crowded...(M. Sholokhov).

Such figurative meanings, as a rule, are not reflected in dictionary interpretations. Dictionaries reflect only regular, productive, generally accepted hyphens fixed by language practice, which continue to arise while playing big role in enriching the lexical reserves of the language.

Direct and figurative meaning of the word

Every word has a basic lexical meaning.

For example, desk- this is a school table, green- color of grass or foliage, There is- this means eating.

The meaning of the word is called direct , if the sound of the word accurately indicates an object, action or sign.

Sometimes the sound of one word is transferred to another object, action or sign based on similarity. The word acquires a new lexical meaning, which is called portable .

Let's look at examples of the direct and figurative meaning of words. If a person says a word sea, he and his interlocutors have an image of a big body of water with salt water.

Rice. 1. Black Sea ()

This is the direct meaning of the word sea. And in combinations sea of lights, sea of people, sea of books we see the figurative meaning of the word sea, which denotes large number anything or anyone.

Rice. 2. City lights ()

Gold coins, earrings, cup- These are objects made of gold.

This is the direct meaning of the word gold. The following phrases have a figurative meaning: goldhair- hair with a brilliant yellow tint, golden hands- this is what they say about the ability to do something well, goldenheart- this is what they say about a person who does good.

Word heavy has a direct meaning - to have significant mass. For example, heavy load, box, briefcase.

Rice. 6. Heavy load ()

The following phrases have a figurative meaning: tough task- complex, not easy to solve; hard day- a difficult day that requires effort; hard look- gloomy, stern.

Girl jumping And temperature fluctuates.

In the first case - a direct value, in the second - figurative (rapid temperature change).

boy running- direct meaning. Time flies- portable.

Frost has frozen the river- figurative meaning - means that the water in the river is frozen.

Rice. 11. River in winter ()

House wall- direct meaning. About heavy rain we can say: wall of rain. This is a figurative meaning.

Read the poem:

What kind of miracle is this?

The sun is shining, the rain is falling,

There's a big beautiful river by the river

The rainbow bridge is rising.

If the sun is shining brightly,

The rain is pouring mischievously,

So this rain, children,

Called mushroom!

Mushroom rain- figurative meaning.

As we already know, words with multiple meanings are polysemous.

The figurative meaning is one of the meanings of a polysemantic word.

It is possible to determine in what meaning a word is used only from the context, i.e. in a sentence. For example:

Candles were burning on the table. Direct meaning.

His eyes sparkled with happiness. figurative meaning.

You can turn to an explanatory dictionary for help. The literal meaning of the word is always given first, and then the figurative meaning.

Let's look at an example.

Cold -

1. having low temperature. Wash your hands cold water. A cold wind blew from the north.

2. Transfer. About clothes. Cold coat.

3. Transfer. About color. Cool shades of the picture.

4. Transfer. About emotions. Cold look. Cold meeting.

Consolidating knowledge in practice

Let us determine which of the highlighted words are used in a literal and which in a figurative meaning.

At the table the mother said:

- Enough tongue wagging.

And my son is careful:

- A swing your legs Can?

Rice. 16. Mom and son ()

Let's check: wag your tongue- figurative meaning; swing your legs- direct.

Flocks of birds fly away

Out for the blue sea,

All the trees are shining

In multi-colored attire.

Rice. 17. Birds in autumn ()

Let's check: blue sea- direct meaning; colorful tree decoration- portable.

The breeze asked as it flew by:

- Why are you rye, golden?

And in response the spikelets rustle:

- Gold us hands are being raised.

Let's check: golden rye- figurative meaning; golden hands- figurative meaning.

Let's write down the phrases and determine whether they are used in a literal or figurative meaning.

Clean hands, an iron nail, a heavy suitcase, a voracious appetite, a difficult character, Olympian calm, an iron hand, a golden ring, a golden man, a wolf's skin.

Let's check: clean hands- direct, iron nail- direct, heavy suitcase- direct, voracious appetite- portable, difficult character- portable, Olympian calm- portable, iron hand- portable, gold ring- direct, golden man- portable, wolf skin- direct.

Let's make up phrases, write down phrases in a figurative meaning.

Angry (frost, wolf), black (paints, thoughts), runs (athlete, stream), hat (mom’s, snow), tail (fox, train), hit (frost, hammer), drums (rain, musician).

Let's check: angry frost, dark thoughts, a stream running, a cap of snow, the tail of a train, frost has struck, rain is drumming.

In this lesson we learned that words have literal and figurative meanings. The figurative meaning makes our speech figurative and vivid. Therefore, writers and poets love to use figurative meaning in their works.

In the next lesson we will learn which part of the word is called the root, learn how to isolate it in the word, and talk about the meaning and functions of this part of the word.

Klimanova L.F., Babushkina T.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Education, 2012 (http://www.twirpx.com/file/1153023/)
Buneev R.N., Buneeva E.V., Pronina O.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Balass.
Ramzaeva T.G. Russian language. 2. - M.: Bustard.

Openclass.ru ().
Festival of Pedagogical Ideas" Open lesson" ().
Sch15-apatity.ucoz.ru ().

Klimanova L.F., Babushkina T.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Education, 2012. Part 2. Do the exercise. 28 P. 21.
Select correct option answers to the following questions:

1. Science studies the vocabulary of a language:

A) phonetics

B) syntax

B) lexicology

2. The word is used figuratively in both phrases:

A) heart of stone, build a bridge

B) heat of the sun, stone edition

C) golden words, make plans

3. In which series are the words ambiguous:

A) star, artificial, stone

B) single, blinds, jockey

B) rocky, caftan, composer

* Using the knowledge gained in class, come up with 4-6 sentences with words field And give, where these words are used in direct and figurative meanings.

The main means of giving a word imagery is the use of it figuratively. The play of direct and figurative meaning gives rise to both aesthetic and expressive effects of a literary text, making this text figurative and expressive.

AIR– 1) ‘adj. To air (air jet)’;

2) ‘light, weightless ( airy dress)’.

DIM– 1) ‘opaque, cloudy ( dim glass)’;

2) ‘matte, not shiny ( dull hairspray, dull hair)’;

3) ‘weak, not bright ( dim light, dull colors)’;

4) ‘lifeless, expressionless ( dull look, dull style)’.

D.N. Shmelev believes that the direct, basic meaning is the one that is not determined by the context (most determined paradigmatically and least syntagmatically):

ROAD– 1) ‘a route of communication, a strip of land intended for movement’;

2) ‘travel, trip’;

3) ‘route’;

4) ‘means of achieving something. goals'.

All secondary, figurative meanings depend on the context, on compatibility with other words: get ready for the road('trip'), direct road to success, road to Moscow.

Historically, the relationship between direct, primary and figurative, secondary meaning may change. Thus, in modern Russian the primary meanings for words have not been preserved consume(‘eat, eat’), dense('dormant'), vale('valley'). Word thirst in our time, it has the main direct meaning of ‘need to drink’ and figurative ‘strong, passionate desire’, but ancient Russian texts indicate the primacy of the second, more abstract meaning, since the adjective is often used next to it water.

Paths for transferring values

The transfer of meaning can be carried out in two main ways: metaphorical and metonymic.

Metaphor- this is the transfer of names based on the similarity of features and concepts (metaphor - unexpressed comparison): pin stars; what comb won't you comb your head?

Signs of metaphorical transfer:

by color similarity ( gold leaves);
by similarity of shape ( ring boulevards);
by similarity of object location ( nose boats, sleeve rivers);
by similarity of actions ( rain drums, wrinkles plow face);
by similarity of sensations, emotional associations ( gold character, velvet voice);
by similarity of functions ( electric candle in the lamp extinguish/ignite light, wipers in the car).

This classification is quite arbitrary. The proof is a transfer based on several criteria: leg chair(form, place); ladle excavator(function, form).

There are other classifications. For example, prof. Galina Al-dr. Cherkasova considers metaphorical transfer in connection with the category of animateness/inanimateness:

the action of an inanimate object is transferred to another inanimate object ( fireplace– ‘room stove’ and ‘electric heating device’; wing– ‘birds’, ‘airplane blade, mill’, ‘side extension’);
animate - also on an animate object, but of a different group ( bear, snake);
inanimate - to animate ( she blossomed );
animate - to inanimate ( guard– ‘guard ship’).

The main trends in metaphorical transfer: figurative meanings appear in words that are socially significant at a given time. During the Great Patriotic War, everyday words were used as metaphors to define military concepts: comb forest, get into boiler . Subsequently, on the contrary, military terms were transferred to other concepts: front work, take on weapons . Sports vocabulary gives many figurative meanings: finish, start, knight's move. With the development of astronautics, metaphors appeared finest hour, escape velocity, dock. Currently, a large number of metaphors are associated with the computer sphere: mouse, archive, maternal pay etc.

There are models of metaphorical transfer in language: certain groups of words form certain metaphors.

professional characteristics of a person ( artist, craftsman, philosopher, shoemaker, clown, chemist);
names associated with the disease ( ulcer, plague, cholera, delirium);
names of natural phenomena when they are transferred to human life ( spring life, hail tears);
names of household items ( rag, mattress etc.);
transfer of names of animal actions to humans ( bark, moo).

Metonymy(Greek ‘renaming’) is a transfer of name that is based on the contiguity of the characteristics of two or more concepts: paper– ‘document’.

Types of metonymic transfer:

transfer along spatial contiguity ( audience- 'People', Class– ‘children’): (a) transferring the name of the containing to the content ( all village came out city I was all worried embankment, ate plate, read Pushkin ); (b) the name of the material from which the item is made is transferred to the item ( go to silks, V gold; V scarlet And gold clad woods; dancing gold );
transfer by adjacency O th – transferring the name of the action to the result ( dictation, essay, cookies, jam, embroidery);
synecdoche(a) transferring the name of a part of a whole to a whole ( one hundred goals livestock; behind him eye Yes eye needed; he's seven mouths feeds; he is mine right hand; heart heart gives the news) – often found in proverbs; (b) whole to part ( jasmine– ‘bush’ and ‘flowers’; plum– ‘tree’ and ‘fruit’.

This classification does not cover the entire variety of metonymic transfers that exist in the language.

In addition to common language figurative values, in the language of fiction there are also figurative use words that are characteristic of the work of a particular writer and are one of the means of artistic representation. For example, from L. Tolstoy: fair And Kind sky(“War and Peace”); at A.P. Chekhov: crumbly ("The Last Mohican") cozy lady(“From the Memoirs of an Idealist”), faded aunties("Hopeless"); in the works of K.G. Paustovsky: shy sky(“Mikhailovskaya Grove”), sleepy dawn("Third Date") molten noon("Romantics") sleepy day("Sea Habit") white-blooded bulb(“Book of Wanderings”); from V. Nabokov: cloudy tense day(“Luzhin’s Defense”), etc.

Such figurative meanings, as a rule, are not reflected in dictionary interpretations. Dictionaries reflect only regular, productive, generally accepted hyphens fixed by language practice, which continue to arise, playing a large role in enriching the lexical reserves of the language.

Summary of a Russian language lesson in 6th grade

(teacher: Nesvat L.N., teacher of Russian language and literature MKOU OOSH village.

Ershovka, Vyatskopolyansky district Kirov region)

LESSON TOPIC:

Direct and figurative meaning of words.

Goals: 1)

To introduce students to the literal and figurative lexical meaning of a word

To develop the ability to find words with a figurative meaning in the text,

Develop skills in working with spelling and punctuation.

Lesson progress:

Motivation.

1) Teacher's word:

Friends, before announcing the topic of today's lesson, I want to ask you a question,

related to literature, do you know who Ilya Muromets is?

(People's hero, hero of many epics)

In one of the epics about Ilya Muromets there are the following words: “The word is like an apple: from one

green on one side, ruddy on the other, you know how to turn it, girl...”

Think about the meaning of this sentence: The word, if we consider it from different sides,

miscellaneous - “Green on one side”, “Ruddy on the other”. And most importantly: "You know how to do it, girl

turn over", i.e. know how to use your words, as a word can have more than one meaning

It turns out that a word, in addition to its direct meaning, can also have another meaning,

portable. This is the topic of the lesson: “Direct and figurative meaning of the word”

(write in notebooks).

2) Write on the board:

iron nails, iron health.

Teacher's explanation: In the phrase iron nails the adjective means

What is the meaning of the word green? (Unripe,

unripe)

11)

Information on the use of figurative words in fiction

works. (Information from the textbook).

Vocabulary work: personification, metaphor

13) Execute exercise 339

Teacher:

Words with a figurative meaning make it bright and expressive not only

poetic speech, but also prose.

15) Let's turn to exercise 342.

a) Reading the text.

b) Determination of speech style, type of speech.

c) Determining the title of the text.

d) Vocabulary work: azure, coral, sapphire.

16) Recording text, explaining spelling.

: I hope you will be able to determine the literal and figurative meaning of a word. A

When you were very little, you probably didn’t understand a lot. Famous

children's writer K.I. Chukovsky recorded several statements of children who did not know

Reading the following statements by role and explaining the words used in

figurative meaning:

“I won’t go to school,” said fifth-grader Seryozha. - There on exams

cutting.

b) - Here In winter it will snow and frost will hit

-And then I won’t go outside.

- Why?

- So that the frost doesn’t hit me.

V) A boy is asked about his sister

- What does your sister Irinka lie down with the roosters?

She doesn’t lie down with the roosters - they peck: she goes to bed alone in her crib.

Mom washed the shirt and asked Petya to hang it to dry in the sun.

Petya left, but soon returned with the shirt.

- Why didn’t you hang it up to dry?

- I don't “I reached the sun,” Petya answered.

19)

Teacher:

Children, you have heard funny stories. No less fun, I think

will seem to you ex. 340.

20) Exercise: In each pair of sentences, indicate the words used directly

figurative meaning.

The wind howls and whistles in the chimney. The dog howls.

The tired day turned to night. The tired boy bowed his head to

mother's shoulder.

Dad came home from work. The long-awaited day of departure has finally arrived.

The hostess warmed the water. A cheerful song warmed us on the way.

21) Let's summarize the lesson.

a) How does a figurative meaning differ from a direct one?

b) What are words with figurative meanings used in speech for?

) Homework:

Theoretical information on pp. 132-133, exercise 338

A word can have one lexical meaning. Such words are called unambiguous, For example: dialogue, purple, saber, on alert, appendicitis, birch, felt-tip pen

There are several types unambiguous words

1. These include, first of all, proper names (Ivan, Petrov, Mytishchi, Vladivostok). Their extremely specific meaning excludes the possibility of varying the meaning, since they are the names of individual objects.

2. Usually words that have recently arisen are unambiguous and have not yet received widespread (briefing, grapefruit, pizza, pizzeria etc.). This is explained by the fact that for a word to develop polysemy it is necessary to frequent use in speech, and new words cannot immediately gain universal recognition and distribution.

3. Words with a narrow subject meaning are unambiguous (binoculars, trolleybus, suitcase). Many of them denote objects of special use and therefore are rarely used in speech (beads, turquoise). This helps them maintain clarity.

4. One meaning usually distinguishes the terms: tonsillitis, gastritis, fibroids, syntax, noun.

Most Russian words have not one, but several meanings. These words are called polysemantic, they are opposed unambiguous words. The ability of words to have multiple meanings is called polysemy. For example: word root- ambiguous. IN " Explanatory dictionary Russian language" by S. I. Ozhegov and N. Yu. Shvedova, four meanings of this word are indicated:

1. The underground part of the plant. The apple tree has taken root. 2. The inside of a tooth, hair, nail. Turn red to the roots of your hair. 3. trans. The beginning, source, basis of something. The root of evil. 4. In linguistics: the main, significant part of the word. Root- significant part of a word.

Direct meaning of the word- this is its main meaning. For example, adjective gold means "made of gold, composed of gold": gold coin, gold chain, gold earrings.

figurative meaning of the word- this is its secondary, non-basic meaning, which arose on the basis of the direct one. Golden autumn, golden curls- the adjective in these phrases has a different meaning - figurative (“similar to gold in color”). Golden time, golden hands- in these examples the adjective has a figurative meaning - “beautiful, happy.”

The Russian language is very rich in such transfers:

wolf skin- voracious appetite;

iron nail- iron character.

If we compare these phrases, we can see that adjectives with a figurative meaning not only tell us about some quality of a person, but evaluate it, figuratively and vividly describe it: golden character, deep mind, warm heart, cold look.

The use of words in a figurative meaning gives speech expressiveness and imagery. Poets and writers are looking for fresh, unexpected, accurate means of conveying their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and moods. Based on the figurative meaning of words, they are created special means artistic representation: comparison, metaphor, personification, epithet etc.

Thus, based on the figurative meaning of the word, the following are formed:

comparison(one object is compared to another). The moon is like a lantern; fog like milk;

metaphor(hidden comparison). Rowan bonfire(rowan, like a fire); bird cherry sprinkles snow(cherry bird is like snow);

personification(human properties are transferred to animals and inanimate objects). The grove dissuaded me; the cranes do not regret; the forest is silent;

epithet(figurative use of adjectives). Golden grove; birch tongue; pearl frost; dark fate.