Author:
Arijana Krišković
Email:
arijana.kriskovic@medri.uniri.hr
Summary
This paper investigates the role of metonymy in the use of names for the branches of medical
science in English and Croatian from the cognitive linguistic perspective. The names of medical
branches are a part of medical terminology, which is considered to be unambiguous and
transparent. However, the names for medical sciences can be used as referential metonymy of the
conceptual type WHOLE FOR PART. In this paper, the metonymic use of names for medical
branches in the scientific discourse in English and Croatian is analyzed and compared. The data
were collected from journal articles published in English and Croatian. The name for a branch of
medical science can be used in English to denote diseases, symptoms or signs, but also methods
and tests that are associated with a particular branch of medical science. In these metonymic
situations, the predicate is semantically linked to the metonymic target, and not to the source.
Thus, we can suggest that the metonymic target in referential metonymy should be observed in
its interaction with the predicate. It would also seem that the metonymic target acts as a
motivating factor for the selection of the predicate. The metonymic use of names for medical
branches also occurs in the Croatian language, although, in some cases it appears to be
inappropriate and may be construed as a deviation from the conceptualisations of the Croatian
language. It seems that, due to structural reasons, Croatian prefers the construction adjective
derived from the name for a medical branch and a noun. However, Croatian medical terminology
is subjected to constant influence of the English scientific discourse which is introduced into
Croatian via translations. In this way, pragmatic elements have an impact on the conceptual
structures which undergo the process of category extension to include new meanings. English
medical terminology is the standard in which certain metonymic meanings are conventionalized,
and thus it is demontsrated that metonymy plays a role in the development of new meanings.
Key words
referential metonymy; English language; Croatian language; medical
terminology; scientific discourse
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