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Metonymisation : Three levels of refocusing

Gärdenfors, Peter LU and Paradis, Carita LU orcid (2025) In Cognitive Semantics 11(1). p.1-27
Abstract
Common proposals for classifying metonyms build on the contiguity of the meaning
of a metonym compared to its original meaning. In contrast, this article offers a
model of metonymisation that focuses on the cognitive underpinnings and sees
metonymisation as an attentional process. By using event structure as a framework,
we present a cognitive model of events that consists of four elements: actor, patient,
force vector and results vector. We propose that metonymisation can be accounted for on three levels. The first level involves shifts of attention within event elements; the
second level shifts between event elements; and the third level shifts between entire
events and their components.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
attention, refocusing, event model, force, result, metonym
in
Cognitive Semantics
volume
11
issue
1
pages
27 pages
publisher
Brill
ISSN
2352-6416
DOI
10.1163/23526416-bja10082
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
decbb3d6-9ec8-4824-a660-b9cd9320d679
date added to LUP
2025-06-28 17:40:29
date last changed
2025-07-16 13:30:18
@article{decbb3d6-9ec8-4824-a660-b9cd9320d679,
  abstract     = {{Common proposals for classifying metonyms build on the contiguity of the meaning<br/>of a metonym compared to its original meaning. In contrast, this article offers a<br/>model of metonymisation that focuses on the cognitive underpinnings and sees<br/>metonymisation as an attentional process. By using event structure as a framework,<br/>we present a cognitive model of events that consists of four elements: actor, patient,<br/>force vector and results vector. We propose that metonymisation can be accounted for on three levels. The first level involves shifts of attention within event elements; the<br/>second level shifts between event elements; and the third level shifts between entire<br/>events and their components.}},
  author       = {{Gärdenfors, Peter and Paradis, Carita}},
  issn         = {{2352-6416}},
  keywords     = {{attention; refocusing; event model; force; result; metonym}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{1--27}},
  publisher    = {{Brill}},
  series       = {{Cognitive Semantics}},
  title        = {{Metonymisation : Three levels of refocusing}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/23526416-bja10082}},
  doi          = {{10.1163/23526416-bja10082}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}