Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. Vol. 2. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 26)

Studies - Edit Gaál: Dictionaries and methaphors: a consideration of the presentation of methaphoric usages in a selection of dictonaries

EDIT GAÁL DICTIONARIES AND METAPHORS: A CONSIDERATION OF THE PRESENTATION OF METAPHORIC USAGES IN A SELECTION OF DICTIONARIES Abstract: This article is based on an element of an ongoing research project concerning the part played by metaphor in the study of meaning. It considers the metaphorical application of a selection of commonly used lexical items as presented in a number of dictionaries purporting to fulfill differing semantic functions. It points to the tendency in dictionaries to rely on institutionalised metaphoric usages and questions the necessity to go beyond such coverage. 1. Dictionaries, metaphors and non-native speakers Dictionaries fulfill a specific function for speakers and learners of languages. They are a reliable resource when a problem crops up, and when a fast and effective linguistic "first aid" is needed, and provide adequate, i.e. syntactic, semantic and pragmatic information about lexical units. However, there is a domain of language where they prove to be more or less inappropriate, and that is figurative language, such as metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, idiom, etc., which are widespread phenomena in natural languages. As Jean Aitchison (1994) says we are not consciously aware of the large amount of figurative language we use in everyday conversations. She quotes one survey that estimated on average over five examples of figurative language per 100 words spoken (H. R. Pollio, 1977). This high frequency of the usage well symbolizes the linguistic creativity of language users and also human thinking in which man sorts, classifies, and compares contexts. Metaphoric and idiomatic usage of words is often problematic for non-native speakers and it leads them to turn to a dictionary. Consequently, the topic of this article is inspired by a common and practical problem; namely whether users can expect dictionaries to provide metaphors, or metaphoric usages of words. I also wanted to explore how the different dictionaries label metaphorical meanings. 101