Literal and figurative language

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Literal and figurative language is a distinction that exists in all natural languages; it is studied within certain areas of language analysis, in particular stylistics, rhetoric, and semantics.

  • Literal language is the usage of words exactly according to their direct, straightforward, or conventionally accepted meanings: their denotation.
  • Figurative (or non-literal) language is the usage of words in a way that deviates from their conventionally accepted definitions in order to convey a more complex meaning or a heightened effect.[1] It is often created by presenting words in such a way that they are equated, compared, or associated with normally unrelated meanings. A common intended effect of figurative language is to elicit audience responses that are more emotional (like excitement, shock, laughter, etc.), aesthetic, or intellectual.

Literal usage confers meaning to words, in the sense of the meaning words have by themselves,[2] for example as defined in a dictionary. It maintains a consistent meaning regardless of the context,[3] with the intended meaning of a phrase corresponding exactly to the meaning of its individual words.[4] On the contrary, figurative use of language (a later offshoot being the term figure of speech) is the use of words or phrases with a meaning that does make literal sense but that encourages certain mental associations or reflects a certain type of truth,[5] perhaps a more artistically presented one.

The Ancient Greek philosopher of rhetoric Aristotle and later the Roman rhetorician Quintilian were among the early documented language analysts who expounded on the differences between literal and figurative language.[6] A comprehensive scholarly examination of metaphor in antiquity, and the way its early emergence was fostered by Homer's epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, is provided by William Bedell Stanford, Greek Metaphor,[7]

In 1769, Frances Brooke's novel The History of Emily Montague was used in the earliest Oxford English Dictionary citation for the figurative sense of literally; the sentence from the novel used was, "He is a fortunate man to be introduced to such a party of fine women at his arrival; it is literally to feed among the lilies."[8] This citation was also used in the OED's 2011 revision.[8]

Within literary analysis, such terms are still used; but within the fields of cognition and linguistics, the basis for identifying such a distinction is no longer used.[9]

  1. ^ "Figure of speech." Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 2015.
  2. ^ Jaszczolt, Katarzyna M..; Turner, Ken (2003). Meaning Through Language Contrast. Volume 2. John Benjamins Publishing. pp. 141–. ISBN 978-1588112071. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  3. ^ Glucksberg, Sam (2001). Understanding Figurative Language:From Metaphor to Idioms: From Metaphor to Idioms. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195111095. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  4. ^ Harley, Trevor A. (2001). The Psychology of Language: From Data to Theory. Taylor & Francis. pp. 293–. ISBN 978-0863778674. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  5. ^ Montgomery, Mar; Durant, Alan; Fabb, Nigel; Tom Furniss; Sara Mills (2007). Ways of Reading: Advanced Reading Skills for Students of English Literature. Taylor & Francis. pp. 117–. ISBN 978-0415346337. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  6. ^ M.H. Abrams; Geoffrey Harpham (2011). A Glossary of Literary Terms (10 ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0495898023.
  7. ^ W. Bedell Stanford, Greek Metaphor (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1936)
  8. ^ a b "Language Log » Frances Brooke, destroyer of English (Not literally)".
  9. ^ Barber, Alex; Stainton, Robert J (2009). Concise Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Language and Linguistics. Elsevier. pp. 230–. ISBN 978-0080965000. Retrieved 23 December 2012.