Semantics: Meronymy (Partonymy), Metonymy

MERONYMY (PARTONYMY)

A meronym means part of a whole. It denotes a constituent part of, or a member of something. Meronymy describes a part –whole relationship between words. For example; Car/wheel, hand/arm, house/kitchen, head/hair

            FACE

FOREHEAD	EYES	NOSE	CHIN	MOUTH

METONYMY

In metonymy a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept. Connection between the words can be based on a container–contents relation (bottle/water, can/juice), a whole–part relation (car/wheels, house/roof) or a representative–symbol relationship (king/crown, the President/the White House). It is our familiarity with metonymy that makes it possible for us to understand He drank the whole bottle; although it sounds absurd literally (i.e. he drank the liquid, not the glass object). We also accept The White House has announced …or Downing Street protested ... without being puzzled that buildings appear to be talking. We use metonymy when we talk about filling up the car, answering the door, boiling a kettle, giving someone a hand, or needing some wheels. Making sense of such expressions often depends on context, background knowledge and inference.