For instance, I might say, "Overcrowding is a major concern in the classroom today" rather than "Overcrowding is a major concern in classrooms today". Is that substitution a literary device? The closest I can get is metonymy or synechdoche, which have similar functions but still don't match this specific kind of substitution.
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2I'm pretty sure that's just a form of synechdoche. The phrase "the classroom" is not substituting for "classrooms" though, but "schools" (which have classrooms as their parts).– BlckknghtOct 29, 2018 at 0:08
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Ahhhh! Good point, that does make more sense.– MirandaOct 29, 2018 at 0:09
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1@Blckknght: It can be a form of synecdoche, but not all usages fall into that category. It certainly doesn't in literal sentences like "The camel is a beast of burden that can withstand heat and drought" or "The sea is rough today." (Contrasting with "Camels are beasts of burden" and "We are facing heavy seas today.")– RobustoOct 29, 2018 at 1:38
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6It's called the 'definite generic'. Professor Lawler's thesis is probably still the go-to treatment of generic usages. "Overcrowding is a major concern in classrooms today" is still a generic usage (the plural generic); it represents an unspecified (but substantial) subset of all classrooms (as does 'the classroom') rather than truly specified classrooms.– Edwin AshworthDec 23, 2019 at 15:18
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3Does this answer your question? Is there any difference in meaning between the definite, the indefinite, and the zero article when we make generic nouns?– Edwin AshworthFeb 21, 2022 at 11:30
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2 Answers
It's called "definite generic" (as opposed to "definite unique") as discussed in "Definite generic vs. definite unique in L2 acquisition" by Neal Snape in the Journal of the European Second Language Association (JESLA).
For instance, I might say, "Overcrowding is a major concern in the classroom today" rather than "Overcrowding is a major concern in classrooms today". Is that substitution a literary device?
No. The substitution is not primarily a literary device. The sentences carry similar information but are expressed in different ways.
in the classroom today
The is an anaphoric that assumes that the speaker and listener are already aware of the particular classroom that is being discussed.
As it happens the poster, Blackknight, above explains this specific instance (so I don't have to):
I'm pretty sure that's just a form of synechdoche. The phrase "the classroom" is not substituting for "classrooms" though, but "schools" (which have classrooms as their parts).
It should not be assumed that all such the noun -> nouns are synecdoche.
in classrooms today
This is the plural of in a classroom today. which means in an example of a classroom. (The indefinite article implies "one [typical] example from many.")
Thus = in examples of classrooms.
answered Feb 21, 2022 at 11:24
