Metaphtonymy in the naming procedure of technological devices among South Tunisian old people

Abstract

The present research studies the naming procedure of technological devices among South Tunisian old people. This study is a reconsideration of the findings of Boubakri (2015) making use of the data collected in an attempt to understand the phenomenon on the basis of a cognitive approach. The data is collected through unintentional observation followed by intentional observation, and it was concluded that old people’s naming procedure is dictated by their internal sensory makeup (Boubakri 2015: 166). On the basis of the collected data and others collected for the purpose of the present research, it is concluded that the cognitive concept of construal lies behind old people’s naming procedure of technological devices, and that the internal cognitive factor involved in the emergence of the construal is metaphor. More precisely, this metaphor is mataphtonymy which is basically motivated by the psychological state of its user.