OVERVIEW

This course introduces students to figurative language. The discussion of the main types of figures of the content plane (metaphors, metonymies, etc.) and of the expression plane (rhyme, sound symbolism, etc.) from a theoretical linguistic perspective is followed by a reflection on the properties of figures in various genres and on their treatment in applicative fields such as translation, advertisement, corpus linguistics, etc.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course aims to provide students with an overview of classical and more recent linguistic studies on figurative language, and to investigate some applicative issues, with a special attention for translation.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this course, the student will:

• Known the main classical and more recent linguistic approaches to metaphors and other figures
• Master the scientific terminology 
• Be able to independently investigate a topic of interest

PREREQUISITES

Basic knowledge of general linguistics.

TEACHING METHODS

This course will be taught online through Teams and Aulaweb. 

It will consist in lectures, in which students will be invited to actively participate (for instance by analyzing data and texts). Each student will also choose a topic that will be the object of either a short essay or of oral presentation and discussion.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

After an introduction to figurative language and an overview of figures of expression (rhythm, sound, etc.) and figures of content (metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, etc.), we will focus on the latter, and especially on metaphors, which are not only common in literary texts, but are widespread in many other textual genres, as well as in our everyday language. Specific attention will be devoted to the theoretical and practical issues involved in the translation of metaphors. Moreover, we will investigate the role played by metaphors in fields such as advertising, politics, education, as well as in specialized language. The last part of the course is dedicated to the individual research conducted by the students (to be agreed with the lecturer). 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) Prandi, M. & De Santis, C. (2019). La valorizzazione estetica della lingua: le figure. In M. Prandi & C. De Santis, Manuale di linguistica e di grammatica italiana, Torino: UTET, pp. 443-492.

2) Approx. 50 pages (students attending classes)/ Approx. 80 pages (students not attending classes) from the following studies (or from other studies discussed in class / to be agreed with the lecturer):

Akita, K. & M. Dingemanse. 2019. Ideophones (Mimetics, Expressives). In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Oxford University Press. https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_3012530_5/component/file_3060417/content

Black, M. 1955. Metaphor. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 55(1). 273–294.

Cardona, G. R. 1985. Iconicità e astrazione. In G. R. Cardona (a cura di), I sei lati del mondo. Linguaggio ed esperienza, Roma-Bari, Laterza.

Deignan, A. 2008. Corpus linguistics and metaphor. In R.W.Jr. Gibbs (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Metaphor and Thought, 280–294. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ervas, F. & Gola, E. 2016. Che cos’è una metafora, Roma: Carocci.

Forceville, C. 2008. Metaphor in pictures and multimodal representations. In R.W.Jr. Gibbs (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Metaphor and Thought, 462–482. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Giora, R. 2008. Is metaphor unique? In R.W.Jr. Gibbs (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Metaphor and Thought, 143–160. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kövecses, Z. 2016. Conceptual metaphor theory. In E. Semino & Z. Demjén (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Metaphor and Language, 31–45. New York: Routledge.

Lakoff, G. 1987. Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal about the Mind. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Lakoff, G. & M. Johnson. 2003. Metaphors we Live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Low, G. 2008. Metaphor and education. In R.W.Jr. Gibbs (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Metaphor and Thought, 212–231. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Miller, D.R. & E. Monti (eds.). 2014. Tradurre Figure / Translating Figurative Language. Bologna: Centro di Studi Linguistico-Culturali (CeSLiC). http://amsacta.unibo.it/4030/1/TradurreFigure_Volume_MillerMonti2014.pdf

Musolff, A. 2016. Metaphor and persuasion in politics. In E. Semino & Z. Demjén (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Metaphor and Language, 309–322. New York: Routledge.

Pragglejaz Group. 2007. MIP: A method for identifying metaphorically used words in discourse. Metaphor and Symbol22(1). 1–39.

Prandi, M. 2010. Typology of Metaphors: Implications for Translation. Mutatis Mutandis. Revista Latinoamericana de Traducción 3(2). 304–332.

Prandi, M. 2012. A plea for living metaphors: conflictual metaphors and metaphorical swarms. Metaphor and Symbol27(2). 148–170.

Rossi, M. 2016. Pour une typologie des avatars métaphoriques dans les terminologies spécialisées. Langue française189(1). 87.

Sapir, E. 1929. A study in phonetic symbolism. Journal of Experimental Psychology 12(3). 225–239.

Semino, E. & G. Steen. 2008. Metaphor in literature. In R.W.Jr. Gibbs (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Metaphor and Thought, 232–246. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Shen, Y. 2008. Metaphor and poetic figures. In R.W.Jr. Gibbs (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Metaphor and Thought, 295–308. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Strik Lievers, F. 2016. Synaesthetic metaphors in translation. Studi e Saggi Linguistici 54(1). 43–70.

Strik Lievers, F. 2017. Figures and the senses: Towards a definition of synaesthesia. Review of Cognitive Linguistics15(1). 83–101.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

FRANCESCA STRIK LIEVERS (President)

MICHELE PRANDI

CHIARA FEDRIANI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First semester

Class schedule

APPLIED LINGUISTICS

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam, which includes:

1. Discussion of the topic that has been the object of the student’s independent investigation (readings from those listed in the reading list, or to be agreed on with the lecturer). Students who attended classes may replace this part with a presentation given in class, or with a brief discussion of a written essay (to be sent to the lecturer two weeks before the exam at the latest). Students who did not attend classes should contact the lecturer well in advance of the date of the exam, to agree on the topic to be investigated.
2. Questions on the other topics that have been discussed in class or in the course’s readings.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam assesses the level of theoretical knowledge achieved by the student, and the ability to discuss in a critical way both the classes’ topics and the topic of the individual research.

The evaluation also takes into account the student’s communicative abilities, and in particular his or her expressive clarity and mastery of the specialised terminology.

Exam schedule