Abstract
The “figure of the senses” par excellence is synaesthesia, that is, a type of metaphor in which the connection of linguistic expressions referring to different sensory modalities generates a conceptual transfer between sensory domains (e.g., in fragrant music an auditory concept acquires olfactory qualities). However, there are also other figures that can have “sensory” instances, and such instances may easily be mistaken for synaesthesia. This chapter analyses examples of metonymy, hypallage, and simile, and discusses whether and how these figures interact with synaesthesia. It is also shown that, due to their different natures and properties, synaesthesia and the other figures “play” with the senses in different ways. In particular, preferences as to which senses are associated with which other senses can only be observed for synaesthesia. More generally, it is here argued that failing to distinguish between synaesthesia and other figures may result in a flawed discussion of synaesthesia.
I thank Michele Prandi and Bodo Winter for their comments and many helpful suggestions on an earlier version of this chapter.
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Notes
- 1.
“Linguistic synaesthesia” is used in opposition to “neuropsychological synaesthesia”, the condition by which sensory modalities are associated in perceptual experience (Cytowic 1989; Simner and Hubbard 2013). Since this study deals with linguistic synaesthesia only, for sake of brevity in what follows I simply refer to synaesthesia without further specification.
- 2.
“[P]erception verbs like hear may exploit the Qualia values of their internal arguments, if those are entities whose primary function (purpose) is to emit a sound (bell, siren, alarm clock etc.)” (Pustejovsky and Ježek 2008: 197).
- 3.
Counterdirectional transfers are of course possible. As Ullmann (1957: 290) points out, the “laws” concerning synaesthetic transfers are “statistical in their very essence. They deal with ‘population figures’, common and recurrent patterns, but will yield no information concerning individual transfers”.
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Strik Lievers, F. (2018). Synaesthesia and Other Figures. What the Senses Tell Us About Figurative Language. In: Baicchi, A., Digonnet, R., Sandford, J. (eds) Sensory Perceptions in Language, Embodiment and Epistemology. Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics, vol 42. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91277-6_11
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