The relevance of embodiment to lexical and collocational meaning
-
Sophia Marmaridou
Abstract
This cognitive linguistic corpus-based study embraces Johnson’s (1992: 348) embodiment hypothesis to argue that metonymic and metaphorical extensions of the prototypical sense of Modern Greek prosopo are based on a cultural model of the self. It is also claimed that conceptual structure and cultural models interact equally in motivating different uses of prosopo, confirming the intimate connection between cultural experience and embodied behavior (Gibbs 1999: 146). Frequently occurring collocations of adjective + prosopo are shown to have developed meanings not directly relatable to either the semantics of prosopo or the semantics of the collocating adjectives, supporting Sinclair’s (1991) views on collocational meanings. It is suggested that the embodiment hypothesis is relevant not only to lexicalization and the expression of emotion, character, etc., but also to the emergence of abstract collocational meaning. Finally, the present work suggests the possibility of a methodological convergence of cognitive semantics, cultural models, lexical semantics, and corpus linguistics.
Abstract
This cognitive linguistic corpus-based study embraces Johnson’s (1992: 348) embodiment hypothesis to argue that metonymic and metaphorical extensions of the prototypical sense of Modern Greek prosopo are based on a cultural model of the self. It is also claimed that conceptual structure and cultural models interact equally in motivating different uses of prosopo, confirming the intimate connection between cultural experience and embodied behavior (Gibbs 1999: 146). Frequently occurring collocations of adjective + prosopo are shown to have developed meanings not directly relatable to either the semantics of prosopo or the semantics of the collocating adjectives, supporting Sinclair’s (1991) views on collocational meanings. It is suggested that the embodiment hypothesis is relevant not only to lexicalization and the expression of emotion, character, etc., but also to the emergence of abstract collocational meaning. Finally, the present work suggests the possibility of a methodological convergence of cognitive semantics, cultural models, lexical semantics, and corpus linguistics.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Acknowledgments ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1. European perspectives
- The relevance of embodiment to lexical and collocational meaning 23
- Dynamic body parts in Estonian figurative descriptions of emotion 41
- Contrasting body parts 71
- head and eye in German and Indonesian figurative uses 93
-
Part 2. East Asian perspectives
- Speech organs and linguistic activity/function in Chinese 117
- Inner and outer body parts 149
- A cultural-linguistic look at Japanese ‘eye’ expressions 171
-
Part 3. Middle Eastern and North African perspectives
- Conceptualizations of cheshm ‘eye’ in Persian 197
- Figurative dimensions of 3ayn ‘eye’ in Tunisian Arabic 213
- The apocalypse happens when the feet take the position of the head 241
- Index 257
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Acknowledgments ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1. European perspectives
- The relevance of embodiment to lexical and collocational meaning 23
- Dynamic body parts in Estonian figurative descriptions of emotion 41
- Contrasting body parts 71
- head and eye in German and Indonesian figurative uses 93
-
Part 2. East Asian perspectives
- Speech organs and linguistic activity/function in Chinese 117
- Inner and outer body parts 149
- A cultural-linguistic look at Japanese ‘eye’ expressions 171
-
Part 3. Middle Eastern and North African perspectives
- Conceptualizations of cheshm ‘eye’ in Persian 197
- Figurative dimensions of 3ayn ‘eye’ in Tunisian Arabic 213
- The apocalypse happens when the feet take the position of the head 241
- Index 257
