Metaphor and Metonymy in Public “Linguistic” Discussions: The Case of Female Surnames in Contemporary Czech

Abstract Czech is a flective Slavic language that traditionally expresses gender in female surnames by suffixation. The formation of citizens regulated law. and the related law repeatedly attract attention non-linguists are discussed public arena. study analyses metaphors metonymies used these discussions involving non-linguists. data for analysis collected from discourse, especially newspapers magazines. Although main topic “linguistic”, material reveals much about speakers’ understanding other, non-linguistic topics, such as role state, state legislation, personal freedom choice. show parts folk theory well. repertoire rich it concerns three target domains (language; state; discussion argumentation). Many who participate this type today tend to see individual more important than any linguistic tradition.