A transferred epithet is a type of metaphorical language where an adjective or modifier is applied to something other than what it literally refers to. It can be a form of personification or metonymy and is often used in literature and everyday expressions. To identify a transferred epithet, check if there is an adjective that grammatically refers to something it cannot literally refer to.
A transferred epithet is a type of metaphorical language in which an adjective or other modifier is applied to something other than what it literally refers to. The concept is synonymous with hypallage and closely related to other literary terms, such as personification and metonymy. These epithets are often employed as rhetorical devices in poetry and other literature, but are also found in commonly used expressions.
The word “epithet” has several meanings, which can make the phrase “transferred epithet” a bit confusing. The most common use of the word refers to an offensive or disparaging phrase, as in “racial epithet.” In this case, however, epithet’ has the mostly obsolete meaning of ‘expression’ or ‘description’. A transferred epithet, therefore, is a description that is transferred onto something else.
Often, this epithet is a form of personification, where something non-human is described as having human emotions or characteristics. William Wordsworth, for example, in his poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” refers to daffodils as “playful companies.” In reality, of course, daffodils can’t be playful or cheerful, because they have no feelings. The speaker of the poem is actually the one who feels playful, but transfers his feelings to the daffodils.
This device can also be an example of metonymy – a type of figurative language in which a noun is replaced by something closely related to it. For example, someone might refer to a “mighty throne.” This is the metonym of the phrase because the word throne is used to refer to the king or queen who sits on the throne. It is also a transferred epithet because the adjective powerful refers grammatically to the throne, while it refers metaphorically to the ruler.
Due to the overlap between these various terms, some people may find it confusing to distinguish a transferred epithet from other forms of figurative language. There is a simple test, however, for a reader to determine if a sentence contains this type of epithet. First, the reader should check if there is an adjective that grammatically refers to something that it cannot literally refer to. If so, the reader should determine whether there is anything else in the context, stated or implied, that the adjective might be describing. If some other person or object actually exhibits that characteristic, it is a transferred epithet; if not, it is another kind of metaphorical language.
Many everyday English expressions use these epithets. It is common to hear references to a ‘sleepless night’, a ‘joyful occasion’ or a ‘happy day’. In reality, of course, these expressions refer to what people experience rather than what they experience on nights, occasions or days.
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