Original scientific paper

Limitations on metonymic uses of –ion nominalizations

Adisa Imamović ; Faculty of Philosophy, University of Tuzla

Abstract

This paper examines the polysemy of English nominalizations ending in the suffix
-ion explaining it by metaphorical and metonymic extensions of the central meaning.
The central meaning of -ion nominalizations is ‘the action of V-ing’. Nominalizatons
in -ion are abstract action nominalizations. Due to various metaphorical
and metonymic processes, they can be used to refer to people, objects, places and
time of the action, as well as to emotions. This study shows that metonymic use of
-ion nominalizations is limited. Nominalizations of verbs which code the events
close to the transitive prototype cannot be used metonymically. Only the nominalizations
of actions in which the Patient is not drastically visibly affected by a
momentary action of a volitional acting Agent can have metonymic use. Even the
ones which can be used metonymically do not have equal status. Some can be
used both referentially and predicatively, while others can have only predicative
use.

Keywords

nominalization; metonymy; metaphor; referentiality; transitivity

Hrčak ID:

30848

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/30848

Publication date:

15.12.2006.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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