METONYMY & SYNECDOCHE

Let's talk about synecdoche and metonymy, two very particular types of metaphorical expression in which one word is representative for another word or concept.

1. METONYMY

Metonymies are frequently used in literature and in everyday speech. A metonymy is a word or phrase that is used to stand in for another word. Sometimes a metonymy is chosen because it is a well-known characteristic of the word.   

A Word Functioning as a Metonymy:

Understanding the context of a metonymy is important. For example, the word "pen" is not always standing in for the written word; often, it just refers to the physical object of a pen.

The examples below include both the metonymy and the possible words for which the metonymy would fill in:

• Crown - in place of a royal person
• The White House - in place of the President or others who work there
• The suits - in place of business people
• Dish - for an entire plate of food
• Cup - for a mug
• The Pentagon - to refer to the staff
• The restaurant - to refer to the staff
• Ears - for giving attention ("Lend me your ears!" from Mark Antony in Julius Caesar)
• Eyes - for sight
• The library - for the staff or the books
• Pen - for the written word
• Sword - for military might
• Silver fox - for an attractive older man
• Hand - for help
• The name of a country - used in place of the government, economy, etc.
• The name of a church - used in place of its individual members
• The name of a sports team - used in place of its individual members

While these word examples provide a good example of what a metonymy is and how it functions, sentence examples will further help to explain the use of this figure of speech.

Sentences Using a Metonymy:

These sentences will further enhance your appreciation and understanding of metonymies. The metonymy is underlined.

• We must wait to hear from the crown until we make any further decisions.
• The White House will be announcing the decision around noon today.
• If we do not fill out the forms properly, the suits will be after us shortly.
• She's planning to serve the dish early in the evening.
• The cup is quite tasty.
• The Pentagon will be revealing the decision later on in the morning.
• The restaurant has been acting quite rude lately.
• Learn how to use your eyes properly!
• The library has been very helpful to the students this morning.
• That individual is quite the silver fox.
• Can you please give me a hand carrying this box up the stairs?
• The United States will be delivering the new product to us very soon.
• Saint Thomas will be coming to the soup kitchen to help out next Sunday after Mass.
• The Yankees have been throwing the ball really well, and they have been hitting better than they have been in the past few seasons.

2. SYNECDOCHE

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a whole is represented by a part of it. Synecdoche is different from metonymy. In synechdoche, the part that is used to represent the whole is actually a part of the whole. With metonymy, the thing that is used to represent the whole is not a part of the whole.

In synecdoche, a part of something is used to refer to the whole entity, or a whole entity is used to refer to part of something. Some examples? This happens every time usage is when someone asks for your number. You know what they are really asking you for is your phone number and not just a collection of random digits. Here are a couple more examples:

• 'Hey man, nice threads.' Threads, here, refers to clothes (part of something referring to the whole).
• 'The stage was nearly set up, but the conductor didn't have enough space for the strings.' Here, 'strings' is synecdoche for a single unit: the 'string section.'

Examples of Synecdoche:

1. Referring to a car as "wheels".

2. Referring to a helper as a "hand."

3. Referring to the alphabet as the "ABCs."

4. Referring to cows as "heads" of cattle.

5. Referring to a gossip as a "wagging tongue."

There are several types of synecdoche:
Pars pro toto - Using part of something to refer to the whole thing.

• England is often used by foreigners to refer to the United Kingdom. England is a country that's a part of the UK.
• Untuk bisa masuk ke pasar malam, perkepala hanya ditarif biaya sekitar Rp. 10.000 saja.
• Ayah membeli satu ekor kambing untuk disembelih dan dijadikan gulai.
• Setelah dilakukan eksekusi oleh kejaksaan, Pak Amir terpaksa angkat kaki dari rumahnya sendiri.

Totem pro parte - This is the opposite of pars pro toto; the whole is used to refer to part of the thing.

• The Internet is often used to mean the "World Wide Web". The Internet is a system of connected computer networks, while the "World Wide Web" is a network of connected documents that you can access via the Internet, to put it very simply!
• Barcelona mencetak gol kemenangannya pada menit ke 80.
• Menonton TV memberikan dampak negatif pada perkembangan anak.
• Polri berhasil meringkus kawanan  begal yang sering beraksi di daerah Lampung Utara.
• Kejaksaan telah mengeksekusi aset koruptor yang didapatkan dari hasil korupsi.

Sources: 
http://www.kelasindonesia.com/2015/03/pengertian-dan-contoh-majas-sinekdoke-pars-pro-toto-dan-totem-pro-parie.html
http://kakakpintar.com/pengertian-dan-25-contoh-majas-pars-pro-toto/
http://study.com/academy/lesson/synecdoche-vs-metonymy-definitions-examples.html