Synecdoche is a type of metonymy that is a subset of metonymy. Below, we take a closer look at the similarities and differences between the two. Synecdoche and metonymy are both considered metaphors because they involve the substitution of one term for another, which necessitates a conceptual link. When a human element is substituted for a non-human organisation, it is sometimes referred to as a form of personification.
Let’s read the article below to understand completely about Synecdoche.
Synecdoche Figure of Speech Meaning
Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a portion of something is used to refer to the entirety of that thing.
“The captain commands one hundred sails,”
for instance, and that uses the term “sails” to refer to ships—ships standing for the object of which a sail is a part.
When a whole is used to refer to a part, this is a less common form of the figure of speech. When the word “mortals’ ‘ is used to mean living beings, it is an illustration that uses a type to stand in for one of its subsets.
“Mortals” technically includes all plants and animals(anything that dies), so using “mortals” to mean living beings is an example that uses a type to stand in for one of its subsets.
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What is the Synecdoche Figure of Speech?
Here are some more important figure of speech details:
#It has been used in poetry and prose for generations.
#Many idioms, colloquial expressions, and slang terms use the device of the figure of speech.
#It is a literary device that uses a body part (head, hand, eyes, heart,etc.) to represent an entire person.
Synecdoche Examples
The figure of speech appears frequently in everyday speech, frequently as part of idioms that have become so well-known that few people consider the fact that they don’t mean what they literally say. They can be found in a wide range of literature, from prose to poetry.
Examples of Idioms
Many common idioms use the figure of speech, and it has become ingrained in the way we use language in our daily lives. Some of the following examples may appear to be so obvious or literal that you’ll be surprised to learn that they’re all the same type of figure of speech:
#“Wonderful wheels!”
It is in which the “wheels” represent the car of which they are a part.
#“Come on, grey beard!”
A clumsy metaphor in which an aged man’s “greybeard” stands in for his whole existence.
#“How many people are there?”
The person who asks this question is more curious in the number of people to whom the heads belong than in the quantity of heads.
#“Denver won by a score of 4-2.”
The name of the whole city of Denver is used to refer to one of its games teams in a whole-to-part.
#“The brains assisted me in completing my homework.”
Smart students are referred to as “brains” in this part-to-whole type, despite the fact that the brain is only one part of them.
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Parts, Wholes, and Synecdoche
When a part stands in for a whole or a whole stands in for a part, it’s called a synecdoche. It’s helpful to know that there are different kinds of whole and parts in order to recognise them. The following are the most common wholes and parts:
#“All hands on deck!”
is a part-to-whole of this category because “hands” take in for the navigators of which they are physically a part.
#The following is a list of objects and the materials they are made of: The whole can be thought of as the thing’s essence—what it truly is—while the part can be thought of as the thing’s matter, the physical material that makes it up but doesn’t define that full essence.
“Are you paying with plastic?”
is an example in which plastic, a material, represents a credit card, which is much more than its material as a monetary device.
Some More
#“Can I buy you a glass?”
does not infer the cup itself; rather, it is a kind in which “glass” refers to the drink inside it.
#A category and the items that belong to it:
“America took home gold”
is a whole-to-part type in which the larger category of “America” is used only to refer to American athletes. Part-to-whole is another type of synecdoche.
“The citizens were all put to the sword,”
for example, is a synecdoche in which the term “sword” refers to the entire category of killing weapons.
Synecdoche Vs Metonymy
Some people consider them to be a subset of metonymy because being a component of something implies that you are approximately related to it.
Others speculate that the two words are completely different, that metonymy can only occur when it suggests a relationship between two things that are not related, and that synecdoche can never be metonymy and synecdoche at the same time.
There is no definitive agreement on which of these two approaches to metonymy and synecdoche is correct, so just be aware of the debate.
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Difference
The substituted term must be either a part of the whole or a whole standing in for a part, according to the definition of synecdoche. Metonymy, on the other hand, can infer the purpose of a word that is related to the original theory in some way.
Because the concept of the crown is related to royalty, using “the crown” to refer to a member of royalty is metonymy. A crown, on the other hand, is not a part of the royal person, and the crown is not a part of the royal person.
More Examples
The relationship in synecdoche is either part-to-whole or whole-to-part.
The connection between the two aspects in metonymy is not whole-to-part or part-to-whole, but rather one of conceptual closeness.
The phrase
“The pen is mightier than the sword,”
for example, contains two metonymies: one in which “pen” refers to writing and the other in which “sword” refers to physical strength. A pen isn’t part of writing, and a sword isn’t part of physical strength—each item is linked to the concept it conjures up.
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Conclusion
Synecdoche is important in figures of speech because they help to make whole and parts of sentences. There are several types of examples that you will find.
Hopefully, this article will assist you in identifying the various synecdoche in English as well as understanding their examples.
So, now that you’ve learned everything there is to know about synecdoche parts of speech, how do you intend to put them to use? Please leave a comment in the box below to let us know what you think.
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