Examining the metonymic relation between a brand name and a product: A case study of Moroccan cosmetic brand names

Abstract

This paper takes a cognitive perspective on the semantics of Moroccan brand names and analyses the role of metonymy in a corpus-based analysis of cosmetic brand names. More particularly, we aim a) to shed light on the metonymic cognitive operations in these names (domain expansion and domain reduction metonymies together with metonymic chains), b) to determine the occurrence frequency of metonymy in comparison to metaphor, c) to reveal the modes (monomodal, multimodal) in which the brand names are manifested, and d) to examine if there is any connection between the type of cosmetics and the metonymic operations cued. The paper yields some significant findings, the most salient feature of which is the low occurrence frequency of reduction metonymy that is largely outnumbered by its converse operation, namely, expansion metonymy. In this way, the conscious use of these mechanisms by brand designers can help to boost brand identity and economically build a favourable brand image.