Figurative Language and Metaphor

Figurative language is language that goes beyond its literal meaning to create effects, convey complex ideas, or evoke emotions. It is one of the most important areas of semantic analysis at A-Level, because figurative language is pervasive — not just in literary texts but in everyday conversation, journalism, advertising, and political discourse. Understanding how figurative language works requires not just identifying figures of speech but analysing the cognitive and communicative functions they perform.

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Literal vs. Figurative Meaning

The literal meaning (or denotation) of a word or phrase is its primary, dictionary meaning — the direct, non-metaphorical sense. The figurative meaning extends or transforms the literal meaning in some way, often by drawing a connection between two different domains of experience.

• Literal: "The ice on the lake melted."
• Figurative: "Her icy stare melted his resolve."

In the figurative example, "icy" does not refer to actual temperature but to coldness of manner, and "melted" does not refer to a physical state change but to a weakening of determination. The figurative meaning works by mapping properties from one domain (temperature and physical states) onto another (emotions and attitudes).

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Metaphor