“Shall I (compare) compare thee?”

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a corpus-based analysis of a special type of modification of the English (as) Adj as NP similes. The modification involves filling the property slot with a cognate noun-adjective compound, i.e., a compound adjective consisting of the original adjective and the noun representing the original source of comparison, and inserting a new source of comparison into the construction (red as blood vs blood-red as a raw steak). Our data come from three sources: the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), the iWeb Corpus, and material published on the Google website. Using quantitative methods we first explored whether there is a relationship between various distributional and formal features of the “original” as-similes and their likelihood of exhibiting this type of modification behavior. We then performed a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the semantic and, to a lesser extent, discourse-related features of authentic examples of this type of modification. Our results indicate that while these modifications are not abundant, the as-similes that have been found to modify in this way are significantly different from the as-similes that have been found not to modify in this way, on a number of formal and distributional features. The analysis of the semantic and discourse-related features of the modifications themselves revealed (i) the typical semantic domains of the three nominal entities featured in the modified simile: the original source, the new source, and the target, including the semantic fit among the domains of those entities; (ii) the typical semantic domains of the properties for which the three nominal entities are compared, including the semantic fit among the domains of those properties; and (iii) the typical text varieties accommodating these modifications. The latter results confirm, and to some extent elaborate on, some earlier findings about the semantic and discourse-related profiles of similes at large.

Melamine-Based Polymeric Crosslinker for Cleaner Leather Production

“…It is estimated that globally the conventional chrome tanning process generates 2.4 × 10 4 ton of chromium, 3.4 × 10 5 ton of chloride, and 2.7 × 10 5 ton of sulfate per year. Ultimately, improved living standards has led to a sharp demand for leather products which eventually increases the quantity of pollution load generated …”

“…These chromium containing leather scrapes (CLSs) include trimming, shaving, splitting, and buffing dust. According to the literature, a maximum CLS of 226 kg is being generated on processing one ton of wet salted materials …”