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Analogy (from Greek ?ναλογ?α, analogia, "proportion"[1][2]) is a cognitive process of transferring information or meaning from a particular subject (the analogue or source) to another particular subject (the target), and a linguistic expression corresponding to such a process. In a narrower sense, analogy is an inference or an argument from one particular to another particular, as opposed to deduction, induction, and abduction, where at least one of the premises or the conclusion is general. The word analogy can also refer to the relation between the source and the target themselves, which is often, though not necessarily, a similarity, as in the biological notion of analogy.

Niels Bohr's model of the atom made an analogy between the atom and the solar system.

Analogy plays a significant role in problem solving, decision making, perception, memory, creativity, emotion, explanation and communication. It lies behind basic tasks such as the identification of places, objects and people, for example, in face perception and facial recognition systems. It has been argued that analogy is "the core of cognition".[3] Specific analogical language comprises exemplification, comparisons, metaphors, similes, allegories, and parables, but not metonymy. Phrases like and so on, and the like, as if, and the very word like also rely on an analogical understanding by the receiver of a message including them. Analogy is important not only in ordinary language and common sense (where proverbs and idioms give many examples of its application) but also in science, philosophy and the humanities. The concepts of association, comparison, correspondence, mathematical and morphological homology, homomorphism, iconicity, isomorphism, metaphor, resemblance, and similarity are closely related to analogy. In cognitive linguistics, the notion of conceptual metaphor may be equivalent to that of analogy.

Analogy has been studied and discussed since classical antiquity by philosophers, scientists and lawyers. The last few decades have shown a renewed interest in analogy, most notably in cognitive science

Thank Wiki

11 years ago. Rating: 9
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Read here >http://grammar.about.com/od/rhetoricstyle/f/qanalogy07.htm

11 years ago. Rating: 8
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I know I used to know what Analogy meant. Now I so don't!  The explanations have done me in. :D

11 years ago. Rating: 4
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The following is a list of some common analogies and an explanation of their meaning.

The relationship between them began to thaw. This means that the relationship was changing.
You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard. You must be pretty annoying for someone to say that.
I am going to be toast when I get home. This is usually said when someone is in trouble with their significant other.
He is like a rock. This means he is steadfast and strong.
She attended the celebrity roast. The person being roasted is being honored by people making harmless jokes about him or her.
I feel like a fish out of water. This implies that you are not comfortable in your surroundings.
She was offended when I said she was as flaky as a snowstorm. That isn’t a very nice comparison to make.
There are plenty of fish in the sea. Unless you really are a fish, this encourages you to move on and find another potential mate.
She was as quiet as a mouse. It is hard to hear a mouse, so that means she was very quiet.
Bing Crosby had a velvet voice. Since voices are not made of velvet, this implies that his voice was smooth and soothing.
Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get when you take a candy from a box of chocolates.  You may not always like what you get; as in life, you sometimes have to accept what you got.
Many famous people have also used analogies to explain their positions or their opinions on an issue. For instance, consider the following analogy examples:

"I am to dancing what Roseanne is to singing and Donald Duck to motivational speeches. I am as graceful as a refrigerator falling down a flight of stairs." - Leonard Pitts, "Curse of Rhythm Impairment" Miami Herald, Sep. 28, 2009
"If you want my final opinion on the mystery of life and all that, I can give it to you in a nutshell. The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination. But the combination is locked up in the safe." Peter De Vries, Let Me Count the Ways
"Writing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo." - Don Marquis
"They crowded very close about him, with their hands always on him in a careful, caressing grip, as though all the while feeling him to make sure he was there. It was like men handling a fish which is still alive and may jump back into the water." - George Orwell, A Hanging
"Withdrawal of U.S. troops will become like salted peanuts to the American public; the more U.S. troops come home, the more will be demanded." - Henry Kissinger in a Memo to President Richard Nixon
“... worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum." - Baz Luhrmann, Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen)
"Dumb gorgeous people should not be allowed to use literature when competing in the pick-up pool. It's like bald people wearing hats." - Matt McGrath from the movie Broken Hearts Club
Similes and Metaphors

Some analogies are similes and some are metaphors . A simile is where two things are compared while a metaphor is where unlike things have something in common.

Similies

A simile compares two things using the words “as” or “like.” An example of a simile would be “you are as stubborn as a mule” which means to convey the fact that you are being very stubborn. Another example would be “He is as blind as a bat” meaning he doesn’t see very well.

11 years ago. Rating: 3
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Any Ology must be must make you a cut above the rest of us,

11 years ago. Rating: 3
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