engleski

How metonymy and grammar interact: Some effects and constraints in a cross-linguistic perspective

It is often assumed that the relationship between metonymy and grammar is one-way traffic. By applying a cross-linguistic perspective in studying the relationship between grammar and metonymy to the example of so-called embellished clippings and local genitive constructions (arising via an anti-associative-like stage) we demonstrate that whether a certain type of metonymy is available in a given language is dependent on the ecological conditions present in the system (including its word-formation system). The relationship between grammar and metonymy is quite complex: it often involves genuine two-way interaction, and it is often a whole cluster of interrelated structural facts that can formally align potential metonymic source expressions and thus facilitate or, conversely, pre-empt the application of a given metonymy.

clipping, anti-associative plural, genitive construction, collective noun, word-formation

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