METAPHORICAL AND METONYMIC NAMES OF PEOPLE IN CONTEMPORARY MACEDONIAN COLUMN DISCOURSE

Abstract

This paper analyses the use of metaphorical and metonymic names of people in contemporary Macedonian opinion columns, focusing on their nominative and discursive functions. The study is based on a corpus of ten political and social columns published on the website of the daily newspaper Sloboden pečat in January and February 2026. The aim is to demonstrate that metaphor and metonymy do not function merely as stylistic ornamentation, but as systematic strategies for naming, evaluating, and positioning social actors. The analysis shows that metaphorical names are most frequently employed in critical and polemical contexts, where individuals are typified and evaluated through mythological, zoomorphic, military, and other domains. Metonymic names, by contrast, predominate in analytical contexts and enable economical reference to persons through their institutional, professional, or functional roles, often resulting in depersonalization and a transfer of responsibility to the collective. Ultimately, the combined use of these two mechanisms confirms the evaluative nature of this genre and highlights metaphorical and metonymic names of people as a key instrument for shaping public interpretations of political and social actors.