When the concept of polyphony (sc. phenomenon in which two or more voice is sounding in text) is applied to figures of speech in general, it will become clear that there are three ways in which the concept of polyphony is related to the figures.
1 In the case of some figures (e.g. prolepsis), polyphony is an essential component of the definition itself. 
2 In some figures (e.g. parenthesis), although the definition itself does not contain a polyphonic component, the reference to it is indispensable to the adequate description of the effect.
3 Some figures include a subtype whose description needs a reference to polyphony(e.g. anaclasis).
From these it is concluded that the reference to the pragmatic dimension through the concept of polyphony is effective in describing the structure and the effect of many figures of speech and their subtypes.
The import of this study is two-fold. That is, while the conventional theory of figures, which is oriented toward syntactics and semantics, is complemented with pragmatic theory, the figures which have not been approached so far through the concept of polyphony are incorporated into the system of the polyphonic theory.

特集 : 論集 美学・芸術学 : 美・芸術・感性をめぐる知のスパイラル(旋回)