ABSTRACT
In the first section of this book, various aspects of the use of analogy in the processes of children’s reasoning in mathematics were discussed. Metaphor is a specific form of analogy which is often central in the construction of meaning during mathematical reasoning (Presmeg, 1992). In this chapter, metaphor and another literary figure, metonymy, are described together with examples of their use in high school mathematics. The theoretical framework of semiotics is used to elaborate on how metaphors and metonymies are implicated in the systems of signification which underlie mathematical reasoning. Finally, the use of metaphor and metonymy in teaching and learning mathematics is related to some potential pitfalls, which are the obverse side of the power of these forms in reasoning.
