Writing Focus: Metonymy

There are a number of ways in which we refer to objects and things in everyday life. Some are done as a generalisation, and others are substituted for the most famous thing that they represent. The latter of those is called metonymy, and it’s a figure of speech that can be used in everyday life, but also in writing!

What Is Metonymy?

Metonymy is similar to synecdoche in the sense that it is the substitution of a word for something else. However, the difference appears when you look closely. Where synecdoche is the substitution of a word for something within the same bracket — lending an ear as a substitute for listening, where the ear is part of listening — metonym is a generalisation of an entire industry, profession, object or other thing based upon a famous example of this.

Although they are marginally different, there are many strong overlapping themes with metonymy and synecdoche. For instance, depending on how it is used, the use of the ‘White House’ as a representation of a governmental decision can be classed as both synecdoche and metonymy.

Examples of metonymy include the use of Hollywood to refer to the entire film industry and Fleet Street to refer to the British press. These are both instantly recognisable to those who know of the culture, and would be substitutes that, although they don't represent the whole industry, would easily be recognised as being used to refer to said industry.

Tips

Much like synecdoche, metonymy can be used to create a sense of a specific setting but can also add a little bit of room for imagination. For example, use of ‘Hollywood’ could suggest that a character is in the movie business, but not necessarily depict that they live within the Hollywood area. This may allow the reader more room to imagine what they believe the setting to be without having a rigid picture in their head based upon a strong synecdochical comparison.

If you’re looking to cut down on complicated or long descriptions of large bodies or names, then metonymy is perfect. Where it can be difficult to simplify the idea of many bankers and the wealthy that work within the stock markets, it is incredibly easy to lump them all in together by using the phrase ‘Wall Street’. Although Wall Street is only the street name, it will instantly allow people to conjure up their own images that they associate with Wall Street, which are often those of the stock markets.

Prompts

If you’re looking to get some metonymy in your writing, then check out these prompts:

  1. Write a story that takes place within a governmental setting. Instead of using long titles and names of people to refer to other aspects of the government, simply use metonymical phrases to refer to these departments.
  2. Take a story that you’ve already written and read it through for any long and unnecessary descriptions of things that can be grouped together under a metonymical phrase.


Simplicity is often the key to good writing and metonymy allows for authors to keep their descriptions simple and to-the-point. This avoids confusion and will make it a lot easier for the reader!

Special thanks to losing control. and cleopatra. for editing!

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