Grice on σχήμα

If you wondered about Grice's "something in the nature of a figure of speech" in WoW:ii, and wondered what Quintilian was thinking of when he translated Gk. skhema, here may be something of a clue. Enjoy!

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figurative

From the Latin figurativus, f. figurare, to figure.

1 Representing by a figure or emblem; emblematical, typical.

1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vi. xxvii. (1495) 217 Dremes ben somtyme wrappyd in fyguratyf mystyk. 1504 tr. De Imitatione iv. xi, This royall souper, in the which thou hast nat purposed to be eten the fyguratyue lambe. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. xv. (1611) 208 This they will say was figuratiue, and serued but for a time. 1650 Bulwer Anthropomet. 174 The Nails were made..for a figurative token. 1853 Marsden Early Purit. 22 They were a part of the divinely appointed constitution of the Jewish church, and had passed away with the rest of its figurative and mystic ceremonial.

2
a

Pertaining to, or of the nature of, pictorial or plastic representation.

1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 156 Serpents..in whose heads are many pretious stones, with such naturall seals or figurative impressions as if they were framed by the hand of man. 1843 Prescott Mexico (1850) I. 77 This is the representative or figurative writing, which forms the lowest stage of hieroglyphics. 1889 J. Hirst in Archæol. Inst. Jrnl. No. 181. 34 Transmission of both geometric as well as animal and figurative decorated forms from East to West.

b

Of a style of the visual arts; esp. applied to painting in which the forms are recognizably derived from objective sources without necessarily being clearly representational; figurative painter: one who paints in this style.

1960 Guardian 2 Feb. 7/4 `Figurative' is a comparatively new word in the critical vocabulary of contemporary art. It implies a kind of painting that is not abstract and..not necessarily representational. 1962 Listener 19 July 93/1 There is a new interest in figurative painting today. 1962 Listener 94/1 The work of three figurative painters who have recently shown in London: Francis Bacon, Sidney Nolan, and Arthur Boyd. 1962 Listener 94/2 In their use of chance in the act of painting figurative painters today undoubtedly owe much to abstract expressionism.

3

Pertaining to the use of graphic symbols. figurative arithmetic: algebra. Also, Of the nature of a symbolic diagram. Obs.

1690 Leybourn Cursus Math. 335 Division is done in Figurative Arithmetick..by applying some Line of Separation between the Dividend and the Divisor. 1800 tr. Lagrange's Chem. I. 13 Let us still exhibit a figurative table.

4
a
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Of speech:
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Based on, or involving the use of, figures or metaphors; metaphorical, not literal.

1400 Prose Legends in Anglia VIII. 134
Legeauns & figuratif spekynges.

1568 Coverdale Hope Faithf. xxvii,
By a figurative and borrowed speech he declareth the horror..of the damned.

1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie i. iv. (Arb.) 24
The vtterance in prose..is also not so voluble..nor in fine allowed that figuratiue conueyance..as meeter is.

1607 Topsell Serpents (1653) 653
A witty check, or a figurative flout.

1711 J. Greenwood Eng. Gram. 217
Customary or Figurative Syntax is that which is used in the Forms of Speech..wherein Words are put together according to a Metaphorical or borrowed Sense.

1785 Reid Int. Powers 15
There is a figurative sense in which things are said to be in the mind.

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1845 H. J. Rose in Encycl. Metrop. II. 891/1
Will it be contended that this was not figurative language?

=============trouble is, how we will decide
if we don't know what Rose is talking about???
Dictionaries!!!

1859 Ecce Homo iii. (ed. 8) 26
The mistake of confounding a figurative expression with a literal one.

=========Mistake? A lot of my friends do it on purpose!!!

b Metaphorically so called.

1400 Prose Legends in Anglia VIII. 118
The figuratif body of Chryste that is holy chirche.

1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 5
Also Princes, whom the prophets..have..made figurative Christs.

1832 Lewis Use & Ab. Pol. Terms v. 44
Confound real with figurative Sovereignty.

1842 S. Lover Handy Andy ii,
He saw a real instead of a figurative blister.

5

Abounding in or addicted to figures of speech.

===========I like this definition!

1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. vii. (Arb.) 166

Which thing made the graue iudges Areopagites..to forbid all manner of figuratiue speaches..in their consistorie of Iustice.

1693 Dryden Juvenal Pref.,
Sublime subjects ought to be adorned with the sublimest and with the most
figurative expressions.

1740 J. Clarke Educ. Youth (ed. 3) 88
Tho' they are..easy Authors, yet they are
more Figurative than Caesar.

=======I never found Caesar too figurative. Rather dull if you axes me.

1783 H. Blair Lect. I. xiv. 274
They will pour forth a torrent of Figurative Language.

1789 Belsham Ess. I. ii. 25
Shakespeare..is the most figurative writer..in our language.

====after J L Speranza

1878 Browning Poets Croisic 113
La Roque..broke bounds Of figurative passion.

6

Mus. = figurate Obs.

1744 Suppl. Harris's Lex. Techn. s.v. Counterpoint, Counterpoint is divided into simple and figurative..Figurative Counterpoint is of two Kinds, in one, Discords are introduced occasionally, as passing Notes..in the other, the Discord bears a chief Part of the Harmony.

====

Etc.

Perhaps Greek is clearer in this respect.

The skhema lexeos is Grice's figure of speech. But there was another figure, which we'll deny, 'of thought'.

Quintilian, I learned from Turner (bless him! -- he shared so many lovely documents with me), used 'skhema' and 'figura' to apply,

NOTABLY

to the 'literal' figure.

I.e. Being 'literal' IS a figure.

Albritton made Grice realised that some of these do not stand sentential adverbs of the type I think Kramer disliked:

Metaphorically, the moon is made of cheese.

is a _ridiculous_ thing to say. It _hits_ the pail.

Ironically, he is a fine friend.

Is possible too otiose to be true (or false, for that matter).

In any case, that the Graeco-Romans (the Grecians, really, is who matter) used 'skhema' to include, 'literalness' -- brings tears to my eyes! Weren't _they_ genii?