Patterns of metaphor-metonymy interaction in animal-specific complex lexical units

Abstract

CONCEPTS – ANIMALS Animal-related composite expressions used with reference to abstract concepts may be exemplifi ed by horse sense ‘strong common sense’ or shaggy dog story ‘a story with an absurd ending’. The analysis of the complex unit horse sense shows that the left-hand constituent is metaphorically conditioned, which is in accord with the defi nition proposed by the OED, according to which this complex unit is used with reference to ‘a coarse, robust, and conspicuous form of shrewdness often found in ignorant and rude persons; plain, practical good sense’. One may hypothesize that the metaphorical meaning of the element horse is interpreted as ‘coarse, plain’. In turn, in the case of shaggy dog story, the complex unit shaggy dog is based on a metonymic projection that can be formalized as ANIMAL FOR ITS CHARACTERISTIC ATTRIBUTE. 7. Animal-related surnames and place names From the historical point of view, surnames of the type Shepherd ‘sheep + herd’ can be viewed as compounds/complex lexical units. As far as its semantic motivation is concerned, the complex lexical unit shepherd ‘sheep tender’ derived from sheep + herd can be analysed in terms of the metaphorical relation between the two constituents where the source and the target represent two different cognitive domains (ANIMAL + PERSON), while its use as a surname is PATTERNS OF METAPHOR-METONYMY INTERACTION... 251 motivated metonymically ANIMAL-RELATED OCCUPATION FOR PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH THAT OCCUPATION. Thus, the surname Shepherd results from the metonymic projection ANIMAL-RELATED OCCUPATION FOR NAME OF THE PROFESSIONAL GROUP OF PEOPLE which leads to another metonymic formation, that of NAME OF THE PROFESSIONAL GROUP OF PEOPLE FOR SURNAME OF A MEMBER OF THAT GROUP. The following complex surnames, obtained from Cottle (1967), can be classifi ed as derived from animal-related occupations: Calverd/Calvert ‘calf-herd’, Colthard/Colthart ‘colt-herd’, Cowherd ‘cow-herd’, Gossard ‘goose-herd’, Hoggard, Hoggart(h), Hoggett ‘hog-herd’, Oxnard ‘herder of oxen’. In the case of Shepperton ‘shepherds’ town’, the element –ton, which corresponds to OE tun ‘village’ or ‘town’, may be treated as a non-metonymic designation of places, which is why it is commonly found in toponyms. The animal-specifi c left-hand constituent is used to designate a given place in a unique way by supplying it with characteristic properties through the working of metonymy. Other animal-specifi c place names that can be accounted for in the same manner include: Bickerton ‘beekeepers’ place’, Calton ‘calf farm’, Cawton ‘calf farm’, Catton ‘(wild) cats’ valley’, Darton ‘deer enclosure’, Dufton ‘place with doves’, Fullerton ‘bird-catchers’ place’, Lambton ‘lamb farm’, Laverton ‘place with larks’, Notton ‘wether-sheep/cattle farm’, Oxton ‘place/farm where oxen are kept’. 7.1. Animal-related morphologically complex surnames in which both constituents are metonymic/metaphorical In this type of surnames, the right-hand element designates a salient building, business or estate, while the left-hand constituent designates its distinguishing property. This category of morphologically complex surnames in which both elements are metonymic, or possibly metaphoric, can be exemplifi ed by such