The Figurative Dimension of Welsh Nicknaming in the Light of the Great Chain of Being

Abstract

The present paper is concerned with tracing instances of figurative language among Welsh nickname formations. Selected nicknames are examined from the point of view of 1) the underlying metaphorical mapping in line with the class-inclusion approach (Glucksberg and Keysar 1990) according to which the source of a metaphor functions as a prototypical member of an ad hoc created superordinate category that also encompasses the target,  and 2) a given metonymic model. Subsequently, an attempt is made at a classification of the investigated Welsh nicknaming patterns in relation to the concept of the Great Chain of Being, i.e. a universal hierarchy of life forms. Out of the three main principles of the Great Chain of Being, special reference will be made to the principle of linear gradation, which assumes a scale from the lowest type(s) of existence to the highest form.