Figure of speech

A figure of speech is a use of a word that diverges from its normal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it such as a metaphor, simile, or personification. In the UNL framework, figures of speech are divided into two main categories:

• Schemes are figures of speech that change the ordinary or expected pattern of words (such as ellipsis, pleonasm, apposition, etc);
• Tropes are figures of speech that change the general meaning of words (such as irony, euphemism, hyperbole, etc).

In the UNL approach, schemes and tropes are to be represented by attributes.