This video now includes Spanish as well as English subtitles. For a full list of dual-language videos in our series, please see the following site: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms
I'm studying Proverbs. It contains a lot of synechode about people, if I am understanding this correctly. Thank you for giving a clear deep understanding of this term. You communicate very well and your entire video leads to a pleasant learning experience.
Synecdoche is often used in literature and poetry to create vivid, memorable images in reader mind . For example boots on grounds frequently used to describe army of soldiers. Synecdoche in poetry is figure of speech in which part of something stands for whole . For example I’ve got wheels for I have car , description of workers as hired hands . Fifty keels plowed deep, fifty ships sailing on ocean are represented by their keels . Poet Allen Ginsberg was great lover of synecdoche. Synecdoche is poetic device closely related to metonymy. Thank you for your wonderful educational literary channel.
Please drop us a comment to let us know what you thought of our video! Doing so will help us to build a rich digital learning environment around the topic of figurative language.
@@gz3zbz Thanks for the comment, Jonathan. We're sorry you found the music distracting, and we hope you still enjoyed the lesson. If you'd like to check out the transcripts of the other videos without the music, you can visit a designated page for each literary term here: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms Yours in the literary terms struggle, SWLF
Thanks for the excellent explanation. Nicely done, but, for me, the music overpowers the speaker and makes it difficult to concentrate on the examples.
So is it correct to that "metaphor" is kinda like the umbrella term -- metonymy and synecdoche are two kinds of metaphor? Also, is synecdoche a specific kind of metonymy? If the answers are yes and yes, does it mean that metaphor (the big umbrella term) includes metonymy (medium umbrella), metonymy then includes synecdoche?
GREAT question, Cheng. No--metaphor is NOT an umbrella term for all types of figurative language. It operates differently than metonymy and synecdoche and should not be confused with those two (though it often is, to our chagrin!)
Hello Sir! I would like to know if saying "greens'' instead of green vegetables is metonymy or synecdoche. Also, Harry Behn's Poem The Kite has a line "How bright on the blue is a kite when it's new!'' Is the usage of "the blue" here metonymy? Thank you kindly.
What an interesting question, Wo! We may be mistaken, but the use of "green" in this context seems to be an example of what linguists would call a "zero derivation" or "conversion," in which one part of speech (in this case, an adjective) converts over into another (in this case, a noun). This kind of shift is often associated with metonymy, so we think it's be appropriate to could call this word usage by that name or as a synecdoche. We'd tend towards metonymy here, given the fact that green isn't a "part" of some larger whole but something associated with that whole. In a strictly chemical / physical sense, it isn't the "green" that you are eating but rather a vegetable that includes chlorophyll that reflects green light. Whew! That's our two cents. What does everyone else think?
Hi there! This is such an incredible video and I'm so thankful for it! Recently I've been watching Tom Scott's video series on linguistics and he mentions that a lot of amateur writers rely on synecdoches to help give context to a sentence such as "He said hello to him" or "She played with the hem of her skirt" and that better writers will often rely on carefully structured sentences and context clues to ensure the reader knows who is doing what. I've noticed my writing relies a lot on synecdoches for this, how would I avoid relying on this crutch?
Thanks so much for your kind words, Michael. We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well. As far as your question goes, using synecdoches too often to the same effect (in your case, identifying who is speaking) probably isn't great. One way to help manage this tendency would be to ask whether your synecdoches surprise and delight or immediately clarify a context. If the latter, you're probably using the synecdochic equivalent of a "dead metaphor."
Interesting question, Kennedy. We're not familiar with the exact origin of this expression, but if hand in that context stands in for person, it would certainly count as a synecdoche. Does anyone out there have any insight into this phrase's origin?
@@kennedylehane6562 Hmm, interesting. A bit more context might help here to understand that phrasing. But yes, blood is a part of a person, so it could serve as a synecdoche for the whole person. Thanks for sharing this example, Kennedy!
Interesting question! We suppose defining it as a synecdoche vs a metonym would depend on whether you take England to mean the political and cultural and social networks of that country (which are rooted in people) or the physical territory itself (which is not). In which case would it be a synecdoche and in which case would it be a metonym?
Sorry to say ... the background music track is terribly annoying and totally unnecessary. I was interested in the spoken content but bailed because of the music.
Thanks for the comment, Steve. We went a little overboard with the music when we were just starting out, but we've dialed things back in later videos. We're not perfect, but we're learning.
Thanks for the post, Chris! Synecdoches and sinokinododichodi are frequently confused, so we're glad you left this comment. A synecdoche is a type of figurative language in which a part stands in for a whole. A sinokinododichodi, in contrast, is a type of malapropism in which one word is mistaken for another that sounds quite similar to it. Sinokinododichodi are often unintentional, but every so often they can be deployed intentionally for humorous effect.
This video now includes Spanish as well as English subtitles. For a full list of dual-language videos in our series, please see the following site: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms
not even my english professor could properly help me understand what a synecdoche was, but for some reason this worked!
Thanks so much, Abbey! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the video, and we hope you'll check out the other videos in our series as well!
I'm studying Proverbs. It contains a lot of synechode about people, if I am understanding this correctly. Thank you for giving a clear deep understanding of this term. You communicate very well and your entire video leads to a pleasant learning experience.
Thanks so much, Kathy! We hope you enjoy our other videos in the series as well!
Synecdoche is often used in literature and poetry to create vivid, memorable images in reader mind . For example boots on grounds frequently used to describe army of soldiers. Synecdoche in poetry is figure of speech in which part of something stands for whole . For example I’ve got wheels for I have car , description of workers as hired hands . Fifty keels plowed deep, fifty ships sailing on ocean are represented by their keels . Poet Allen Ginsberg was great lover of synecdoche. Synecdoche is poetic device closely related to metonymy. Thank you for your wonderful educational literary channel.
Please drop us a comment to let us know what you thought of our video! Doing so will help us to build a rich digital learning environment around the topic of figurative language.
The whimsical background music is distracting and unnecessary.
@@gz3zbz Thanks for the comment, Jonathan. We're sorry you found the music distracting, and we hope you still enjoyed the lesson. If you'd like to check out the transcripts of the other videos without the music, you can visit a designated page for each literary term here: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms
Yours in the literary terms struggle,
SWLF
Thanks for the excellent explanation. Nicely done, but, for me, the music overpowers the speaker and makes it difficult to concentrate on the examples.
This video really made a difference.. in understanding Synechdoche..
Thanks so much! We hope you enjoy our other videos in the series as well!
The classic syecdoche I remember hearing is "All hands on deck". The hands are representative of the whole sailors.
Also, where my writing majors at?
Ha! Nice one, Caldad Extra!
very straightforward and easy to understand
Thanks so much, 凌云龙! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
Wow! I'm so glad I found this video!
Thanks, It helped me a lot.
Also, I wish I had a teacher like him :)
Thanks so much, Munazza! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well.
This video is soo calm and amazing!!
Thanks so much, Old PC Games! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
Thank you so much for explaining I understood it very well ☺️
Thanks so much, Disha! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
@@SWLF you're welcome 😊and I have subscribed your channel too
Great explanations!
Thanks so much, mous3! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
This helps a ton with my AP English class, thank you!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Avery. We hope the other videos in our series are equally useful for your AP English class. Good luck with it!
Thank you so much I needed this as I couldn't get it when my teacher taught this 😖🙄😅
Thanks so much, Mis Army. We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
@@SWLF yes ofcourse! I will be
So is it correct to that "metaphor" is kinda like the umbrella term -- metonymy and synecdoche are two kinds of metaphor? Also, is synecdoche a specific kind of metonymy?
If the answers are yes and yes, does it mean that metaphor (the big umbrella term) includes metonymy (medium umbrella), metonymy then includes synecdoche?
GREAT question, Cheng. No--metaphor is NOT an umbrella term for all types of figurative language. It operates differently than metonymy and synecdoche and should not be confused with those two (though it often is, to our chagrin!)
Thank you for the excellent explanation. I do find the music very distracting.
Many thanks for your kind words, Nancie, and for your suggestion about the music. We'll keep that idea in mind as we produce more videos.
Wow! what a helpful video!
Thanks so much, Jesse! We hope you like our other videos in the series as well!
Ok thanks for explaining this
You're very welcome, Lateshia! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
Good one.
Thanks so much, Icesh! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
Hello Sir! I would like to know if saying "greens'' instead of green vegetables is metonymy or synecdoche. Also, Harry Behn's Poem The Kite has a line "How bright on the blue is a kite when it's new!'' Is the usage of "the blue" here metonymy?
Thank you kindly.
What an interesting question, Wo! We may be mistaken, but the use of "green" in this context seems to be an example of what linguists would call a "zero derivation" or "conversion," in which one part of speech (in this case, an adjective) converts over into another (in this case, a noun). This kind of shift is often associated with metonymy, so we think it's be appropriate to could call this word usage by that name or as a synecdoche. We'd tend towards metonymy here, given the fact that green isn't a "part" of some larger whole but something associated with that whole. In a strictly chemical / physical sense, it isn't the "green" that you are eating but rather a vegetable that includes chlorophyll that reflects green light. Whew! That's our two cents. What does everyone else think?
@@SWLF Beautiful answer! Loved it. So, in The Kite poem , "the blue" instead of saying "the blue sky" is metonymy as well?
I finally understand synecdoche. Now I just need to figure out what New York means.
Ha! We seem to recall there being a much longer video on that subject that you might check out. If only we could remember the name of it..
Hi there! This is such an incredible video and I'm so thankful for it!
Recently I've been watching Tom Scott's video series on linguistics and he mentions that a lot of amateur writers rely on synecdoches to help give context to a sentence such as "He said hello to him" or "She played with the hem of her skirt" and that better writers will often rely on carefully structured sentences and context clues to ensure the reader knows who is doing what. I've noticed my writing relies a lot on synecdoches for this, how would I avoid relying on this crutch?
Thanks so much for your kind words, Michael. We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well. As far as your question goes, using synecdoches too often to the same effect (in your case, identifying who is speaking) probably isn't great. One way to help manage this tendency would be to ask whether your synecdoches surprise and delight or immediately clarify a context. If the latter, you're probably using the synecdochic equivalent of a "dead metaphor."
thank u sir
You are very welcome, Tushar! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
@@SWLF :)
An example might be: ‘who’s the suit?’
Great example, Raza! Thanks for keeping the conversation going!
Can we just talk about how I spent a decade mispronouncing Synecdoche, New York
Ha! That movie is bonkers.
So, “Get your ass over here!” would qualify?
Ha! Yes, quite few few curse words are synecdoches.
Would, ”I want to take your hand in marriage,” be synecdoche?
Interesting question, Kennedy. We're not familiar with the exact origin of this expression, but if hand in that context stands in for person, it would certainly count as a synecdoche. Does anyone out there have any insight into this phrase's origin?
@@kennedylehane6562 Hmm, interesting. A bit more context might help here to understand that phrasing. But yes, blood is a part of a person, so it could serve as a synecdoche for the whole person. Thanks for sharing this example, Kennedy!
In the sentence "England won the first test match against Australia" England stands as synecdoche , why not metonymy
Interesting question! We suppose defining it as a synecdoche vs a metonym would depend on whether you take England to mean the political and cultural and social networks of that country (which are rooted in people) or the physical territory itself (which is not). In which case would it be a synecdoche and in which case would it be a metonym?
Thanks 😊
Let me try one - Tom has many mouths to feed. Is this correct? 🤔
Excellent example, hemalakshmi! Thanks for sharing this one!
Fatum Betula brought me here.
Ummm, thanks, Fatum!
Sorry to say ... the background music track is terribly annoying and totally unnecessary. I was interested in the spoken content but bailed because of the music.
Thanks for the comment, Steve. We went a little overboard with the music when we were just starting out, but we've dialed things back in later videos. We're not perfect, but we're learning.
Its pronounced Synechynadodiechodie.
Ha! We thought it was "See neck? Doh! Key!"
I think you mean sinokinododichodi
Thanks for the post, Chris! Synecdoches and sinokinododichodi are frequently confused, so we're glad you left this comment. A synecdoche is a type of figurative language in which a part stands in for a whole. A sinokinododichodi, in contrast, is a type of malapropism in which one word is mistaken for another that sounds quite similar to it. Sinokinododichodi are often unintentional, but every so often they can be deployed intentionally for humorous effect.
This would be better without the music.
Thanks for the suggestion, Bertie. We'll keep it in mind going forward. We do hope you found the lesson useful.
Heplful
Thanks so much for supporting the series, yes!