metaforiche

Metaforiche refers to metaphorical expressions and more generally to the use of metaphor in language, literature, and rhetoric. A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes something by stating it is another thing, or by transferring properties from a source domain to a target domain, thereby generating meaning beyond the literal terms.

Origin and etymology: The concept traces back to ancient rhetoric in Greece and Rome. The term metafora stems from Greek metafora, composed of meta, beyond, and pherein, to carry. In Italian, metaforiche describes things related to metaphor or metaphorical language, including individual expressions and broader patterns of figurative thought.

Types and theory: Metaphors can be explicit (a direct statement equating two things) or implicit (implied without naming both terms). They can be extended or sustained across a passage, known as an extended metaphor, and may be dead when no longer perceived as figurative. In cognitive linguistics, the conceptual metaphor theory analyzes how metaphorical mappings structure understanding, for example time as a moving object.

Use and function: Metaforiche are central in poetry and narrative for imagery, in argumentative discourse for persuasion, and in philosophy for clarifying complex ideas. They shape perception by linking unfamiliar concepts to familiar domains and can reveal cultural assumptions embedded in language.

Related topics include figure retoriche, allegoria, metonimia, and metafora concettuale.