Conversion as metonymy

Abstract

This paper considers the notion that conversion should be viewed as being metonymical, which is well-established in Cognitive Linguistics. Against the background of the wider discussion of metonymy in word-formation, criteria for distinguishing derivation from figurative extension are proposed, criteria which support the notion of conversion as being metonymical, despite the fact that change from one lexeme to another is not typical of figurative readings. Such a conclusion raises other questions about the role of metonymy in word-formation.