Metonymies and Metaphors for Death Around the World

ISBN-13: 9781032025285 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Publication date: 11/30/2021 Series: Routledge Studies in Linguistics Pages: 178 Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d) This book reflects on the ways in which metonymy and metaphor are used conceptually and linguistically to mitigate the more difficult dimensions of death and dying, setting out a unique line of research within Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The volume argues that metonymic and metaphoric descriptions of death and dying reflect taboos, concealment, and other considerations not found in figurative descriptions of life, producing distinct forms of euphemism, frames, and mental spaces particular to conceptualizations of death. The first part takes a closer look at metonymy to illuminate the ways in which it allows a person to zoom in on death’s more inoffensive dimensions or zoom out from its more troubling aspects. The second part focuses on the more palatable concepts which metaphorically structure and help to b