Editing Literal and figurative language (section)

==Literal meaning==
Literal usage confers meaning to words, in the sense of the meaning words have by themselves,<ref name="JaszczoltTurner2003">{{cite book |last1=Jaszczolt |first1=Katarzyna M. |last2=Turner |first2=Ken |title=Meaning Through Language Contrast. Volume 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ToPN1kTaBMUC&pg=PA141 |access-date=20 December 2012 |year=2003 |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing |isbn=978-1588112071 |pages=141–}}</ref> for example as defined in a dictionary. It maintains a consistent meaning regardless of the [[context (language use)|context]],<ref name="Glucksberg2001">{{cite book |last=Glucksberg |first=Sam |title=Understanding Figurative Language:From Metaphor to Idioms: From Metaphor to Idioms |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rKX7qcQerLcC |access-date=20 December 2012 |year=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0195111095}}</ref> with the intended meaning of a phrase corresponding exactly to the meaning of its individual words.<ref name="Harley2001">{{cite book |last=Harley |first=Trevor A. |title=The Psychology of Language: From Data to Theory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKbAhoSFcbwC&pg=PA293 |access-date=20 December 2012 |year=2001 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0863778674 |pages=293–}}</ref> On the other hand, figurative use of language (a later offshoot being the term ''[[figure of speech]]''{{cn|date=February 2025}}) is the use of words or phrases with a meaning that does make literal sense but that encourages certain mental associations or reflects a certain type of truth,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Montgomery |first1=Mar |last2=Durant |first2=Alan |last3=Fabb |first3=Nigel |author4=Tom Furniss |author5=Sara Mills |author5-link=Sara Mills (linguist) |title=Ways of Reading: Advanced Reading Skills for Students of English Literature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BhrYfYdHuN8C&pg=PA117 |access-date=23 December 2012 |year=2007 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0415346337 |pages=117–}}</ref> perhaps a more artistically presented one.