A Semantic Study of Iraqi University Students’ Recognition of Metonymy

Metonymy is a type of figurative language that plays an important role in everyday communication as well as in literary work . It helps us to express ourselves effortlessly as it provides a mental access to entities or objects. The main aim of this study is to investigate Iraqi EFL learners recognition of metonymy . This study hypothesizes that the EFL learners overlap and / or mix between metonymy and metaphor. A diagnostic test is used in order to investigate students recognition of metonymy . The test is applied to some students chosen randomly. Analysis , discussion and commentary are also presented based on statistical methods. Findings show that students have problems concerning the recognition of metonymy and they do not differentiate between metonymy and metaphor