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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 6/17/2020 9:43 AM, Lieven L. Litaer
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:a4a98778-218c-5dbf-eb55-292f7baedcc6@gmx.de"><br>
<blockquote type="cite" style="color: #000000;"><b
class="moz-txt-star"><span class="moz-txt-tag">*</span>Soj<span
class="moz-txt-tag">*</span></b> <i class="moz-txt-slash"><span
class="moz-txt-tag">/</span>food<span class="moz-txt-tag">/</span></i>
is not an element of a matter or affair that can be used to
<br>
name a matter or affair, so it's not a metonym.
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Thanks. I'll mark it as such. So it's a metaphor?
<br>
</blockquote>
<p>Maybe. A metaphor is a word (or phrase) that is used in place of
another word (or phrase), and which shares some common
characteristics with the other word, but which is unrelated to
that word. I can imagine <b>Soj</b> <i>food</i> being a metaphor
for <i>matter, affair, concern</i> in that food is often a
central affair in life. On the other hand, I can also imagine food
being considered a major part of many events that might deal with
important matters, making <b>Soj</b> a metonym. Neither
interpretation seems convincing to me.<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:a4a98778-218c-5dbf-eb55-292f7baedcc6@gmx.de">
<br>
<blockquote type="cite" style="color: #000000;">
<blockquote type="cite" style="color: #000000;">3. Some idioms
consist of only a noun phrase, like {naH jajmey}.
<br>
Wouldn't that also be a metonymy?
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
That's not a metonym either.
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
So also a metaphor?
</blockquote>
<p>Yes, and the imagery is explained to us.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The phrase “vegetable days” (or “fruit days,” since <b>naH </b>means
both “vegetable” and “fruit”) refers to one’s youth, a time
before reaching an age considered appropriate for marriage. The
imagery is of a plant, rooted but growing, just as a Klingon
youth still needs grounding (the home) for nourishment
(teaching) in order to grow spiritually. [KGT]<br>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The characteristic of being tied to a place for some kind of
growth is common to both rooted plants and one's youth, but
otherwise the two phrases are unrelated. That's the very
definition of a metaphor.</p>
<p>I don't think it's an especially useful endeavor to label which
words have been used metaphorically in Klingon. Idioms need
explanation because the meanings of idioms can't be deduced
without an external explanation, but metaphors can be understood
just by recognizing the characteristics involved. If you label <b>naH
jajmey</b> as a metaphor, what use is that to the reader?</p>
<p>Understanding metaphor can be useful in many areas, like poetry,
storytelling, and speech-writing. But to classify words and
phrases as metaphors does not, I think, add any meaningful
grammatical information. A metaphor arises in how you use a
phrase, not in its mere existence.<br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
SuStel
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://trimboli.name">http://trimboli.name</a></pre>
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