Neo-rhetoric and figures of speech

Neo-rhetoric operates basically with three concepts: metaphor – the semantic of a ‘seme’ according to the principle of similarity or likeness, metonymy – a substitution according to the principle of contiguity , association, causality (different authors emphasize different types of connection); synecdoche, which some authors regard as the primary figure and others as a particular example of metonymy – a substitution on the basis of participation, inclusiveness, partiality or the substitution of plurality by singleness.

-Yuri Lotman (Universe of Mind)

 

This passage describes the core framework of neo-rhetoric (also called the "new rhetoric" or modern rhetorical theory, particularly in its structuralist and semiotic forms from the mid-20th century onward). Neo-rhetoric shifts classical rhetoric’s focus on persuasion and ornate figures toward a more systematic, linguistic, and semantic analysis of how meaning is produced through tropes, i.e. figures of speech that involve substitution or transfer of meaning.

 

It identifies three fundamental tropes that underpin how language creates non-literal meanings:

 

1. Metaphor

Definition in the text: “the semantic of a ‘seme’ according to the principle of similarity or likeness.”

Explanation: A seme is a basic unit of meaning from semantics.

 

Metaphor works by transferring meaning based on perceived similarity or analogy between two things. It connects elements from different domains because they resemble each other in some way.

Classic example: “Juliet is the sun” (Shakespeare) — Juliet and the sun are linked by shared qualities like brightness, warmth, life-giving power.

 

In neo-rhetoric, metaphor is often seen as a vertical or paradigmatic substitution: one sign replaces another because of likeness.

 

2. Metonymy

Definition in the text: “a substitution according to the principle of contiguity, association, causality (different authors emphasize different types of connection).”

Explanation: Metonymy replaces a word or concept with something that is associated with it in experience, space, time, or cause-effect relations; contiguity = “next to” or “connected in reality”. It is not based on similarity but on real-world proximity or linkage.

Examples: “The crown” for monarchy or king which is a symbolic association. “Hollywood” for the American film industry, a place stands for the institution located there. “He drank the whole bottle,” container for contents; causality or association.

Different theorists stress different connections: spatial, temporal, causal, etc.

 

3. Synecdoche

Definition in the text: “a substitution on the basis of participation, inclusiveness, partiality or the substitution of plurality by singleness.”

Explanation: Synecdoche involves a part-whole relationship or a relationship of inclusion. One element stands for another because it is a part of it, contains it, or represents a larger category.

 

Examples: “All hands on deck” (part = “hands” for whole = sailors). “The White House issued a statement” (a building for the entire administration or staff). Using “America” to refer to the United States (whole for a part, or singular for plural entity).

 

The text notes a scholarly debate:

Some authors e.g., certain classical or structuralist rhetoricians treat synecdoche as the primary or most basic figure. Others view it as a subspecies of metonymy, a specific type of associative substitution based on inclusion rather than broader contiguity.

 

Overall Significance in Neo-Rhetoric

Neo-rhetoric influenced by thinkers like Roman Jakobson, Groupe μ, and semioticians reduces the vast classical catalogue of hundreds of rhetorical figures to these three core operations. They are seen as the basic mechanisms by which language:

a. Transfers meaning (semantics),

b. Creates figurative sense, and

c. Structures thought and discourse.

 

This tripartite model is often contrasted with Jakobson’s famous binary of metaphor (similarity, paradigmatic, poetic) vs. metonymy (contiguity, syntagmatic, realistic or prosaic), with synecdoche sometimes absorbed into metonymy.

 

In short, the quotation presents metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche as the foundational “engines” of figurative language in modern rhetorical theory, each operating on a different logical principle of semantic substitution (similarity, association and contiguity, and part-whole inclusion).

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