Hi, need to submit a 2000 words essay on the topic The use of figurative language.Download file to see previous pages... Humans are social beings who interact at different levels during the execution

Hi, need to submit a 2000 words essay on the topic The use of figurative language.

Humans are social beings who interact at different levels during the execution of their duties. The roles that each of them play are distinctive and in some cases, these overlap. In most instances, they require the help of others in a bid to function optimally. Communication is an important medium through which they understand and appreciate the demands of each other. Language is particularly of great importance because it enables them to understand each other and exist in a harmonic manner. Through a common language, they are able to eliminate social conflicts that have detrimental effects on their very wellbeing. The language that a community adopts is in most instances derived from the environment that the respective community inhabits. It is widely agreed that figurative language is commonly used by communities for various purposes. Typical examples of figurative language include metaphors and similes. This paper provides an in depth analysis of the differences between metaphors and similes. Literature ReviewIn his research, Heidrich (2004) indicates that metaphors and similes play distinctive roles in communication. They are mostly employed for clarification purposes especially because they make references to things that the particular community is conversant with.&nbsp. In particular, they help in relating the respective information to the objects that they are being compared to. With this, the audience can be able to clearly understand the concepts being passed across....

In particular, they help in relating the respective information to the objects that they are being compared to. With this, the audience can be able to clearly understand the concepts being passed across. Roberts and Kreuz (1994) assert that this is important because it eases communication and prevents conflicts that are likely to strain social relations and undermine the holistic functioning of the society. Nonetheless, there are unique differences between these two figures of speech. It is widely agreed that most people get confused about their use because they are commonly employed in similar circumstances. In similes, the word as or like is used to liken features of the things being compared to those of another object or thing. Johnson (1996) indicates that in this, one object has a feature that has similar characteristics of another feature of the other object. For example, with respect to color, one can use the simile, as black as ebony. This implies that the two objects share a similar intensity of blackness. In this respect, the comparison is direct and objects equally have similar characteristics. This is unlike in metaphors where the comparison is relatively indirect and there is no use of the words like or as. In their comprehensive review, Juang and Rabiner (1991) assert that metaphors are an equation while similes are approximation. In this respect, metaphors refer to the object being compared to fully. In this, a thing is considered to be typical of the other. For instance, telling someone ‘you are a dog’ differs considerably from telling him or her ‘you look like a dog’. In this regard, Johnson (1996) indicates that metaphors refer to more intrinsic features than the similes.