What is the difference between literal and figurative meaning




















Aristotle and later the Roman Quintilian were among the early analysts of rhetoric who expounded on the differences between literal and figurative language. Within literary analysis, such terms are still used; but within the fields of cognition and linguistics, the basis for identifying such a distinction is no longer used.

Thus, it is easy to understand literal language. This type of language is often used to deliver important information and is used in writing scientific, technical and legal documents. She loves her son very much. Figurative language is a language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. This does not mean that cats and dogs are falling from the sky.

Figurative language is more elaborate than literal language, and this type of writing is commonly used in works of literature. A writer uses figures of speech like similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, paradox, etc.

Some examples of figurative language and the figures of speech are given below. This makes it difficult for the reader or listener to comprehend what is being said. Figurative language is mostly used in works such as stories , poems , etc. In each context, the writer attempts to increase the beauty of the piece of writing and its artistic value by using figurative language.

For example, a writer can describe the beauty of a woman by comparing her to the night sky. In such an instance, if we try to read the text in a literal sense, the true meaning cannot be captured. However, by fusing the literal and figurative language, one can certainly improve his quality of writing. Comparing a woman to the night sky is an example of figurative language.

Literal Language: Literal language is when words are used in their original sense or else in their direct meaning.

Figurative Language: Figurative language is the usage of figures of speech such as metaphors, comparisons, similes, references, personification, hyperbole, etc. While a text may say different things and touches different themes, the literal language always has the same flow and the way of saying things.

The central theme will always stay exact, and there is coherence in the way everything moves from the beginning to the end. The thing that gains more relevance here is that people do not have to say the things in different ways to convey the meanings, just one word and the exact meaning related to help the listener and the reader to know what the individual tries to say.

Aristotle was the first person who figured out the differences between these two terms. Different analysis has gone on where people have tried to find the new meanings and the words related.

Especially with the invention of internet and social networks where people want to interact with each other and say things in a different way, this direct meaning of saying things has become extinct. The figurative language which also has the name of the non-literal language is the type where the use of words becomes different, and the exact meanings may have to get deduced by the other person. The best example of such type of language becomes poetry where everything that a poet says does not have a direct meaning; it comes down to the person who wants to find a meaning, and they do so per their choice.

The thing here is that one thing said in a fugitive way may have more than one meanings. Another important thing about such language becomes the change from their actual definition, and to do that, understanding and having a better meaning becomes apparent.



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