Figurative Language versus Literal Language Essay - 9

Figurative Language versus Literal Language - Essay Example The phrase, â€Å"a piece of cake† does not literally mean a task that can be easily completed. As an idiom, however, that is what it means. The image that the idiom conjures up has a lot to do with the meaning that it is given (Amphiboly, n.d.). An amphiboly refers to an ambiguity that is created as a result of the grammatical structure of that sentence. This may be the result of the different meanings that may result from the positioning of marks of punctuation. An analogy refers to a device of figurative language whereby meaning is transferred to make something clear. A certain process or thing is talked of in terms of another to make others understand its essence. One may take the example of the analogy between a tube and the mechanism of water travel within a plant that is often used in botany classrooms, to understand the concept of an analogy. A flame word is something that is used as a substitute for another word or process that can then be used independent of the original word. It can be used since the original word is not used in common parlance or also probably because the flame word is what is used within a coterie of people who may understand the word. It can then be used as a means of developing a group with an understanding of certain secret words (Urban Dictionary, n.d.). One of the most celebrated devices of the figures of speech, metaphor refers to the substitution of one idea with the other so as to qualify the first one. In this device, the characteristics of one object are transferred to the other. The two objects may have no apparent relation and metaphors are often used by poets to shock readers in this way. When a person is referred to as a ‘cheetah on the track’, their exceptional speed is sought to be highlighted through the metaphor. Hyperbole is a figure of speech whereby something is exaggerated to a great extent. The reader is aware of the