John Benjamins Publishing Company
Contrasting body parts
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Uwe Kjær Nissen
Abstract
In this chapter, the claim that metaphors and metonymies are grounded in bodily experiences is pursued by means of a cross-linguistic analysis of the semantic field of English mouth compared to its Spanish and Danish equivalent terms, boca and mund, respectively. Pustejovsky’s (1995) ‘qualia roles’ serve as a basis for the classificatory system proposed. It is shown that the metaphorical and metonymical uses of mouth are, indeed, linked with mappings of mind and body and these mappings appear to be related closely to the constitution, the shape, and the sensori-motor capacities of that specific body part. The cross-linguistic analysis also reveals that the metonymization and metaphorization processes are influenced by cultural differences, even with languages that are relatively close to one another (compared to e.g. non-European languages).
Abstract
In this chapter, the claim that metaphors and metonymies are grounded in bodily experiences is pursued by means of a cross-linguistic analysis of the semantic field of English mouth compared to its Spanish and Danish equivalent terms, boca and mund, respectively. Pustejovsky’s (1995) ‘qualia roles’ serve as a basis for the classificatory system proposed. It is shown that the metaphorical and metonymical uses of mouth are, indeed, linked with mappings of mind and body and these mappings appear to be related closely to the constitution, the shape, and the sensori-motor capacities of that specific body part. The cross-linguistic analysis also reveals that the metonymization and metaphorization processes are influenced by cultural differences, even with languages that are relatively close to one another (compared to e.g. non-European languages).
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Acknowledgments ix
- Introduction 1
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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
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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
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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
