1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. Cognitive Linguistic Studies
  4. Volume 13, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 13, Issue 1
  • ISSN 2213-8722
  • E-ISSN: 2213-8730
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

This article examines metonymy within the grammatical domain of morphology (Janda 2011; Brdar 2017; Gutiérrez Rubio 2021; Kos & Gutiérrez Rubio, this volume), focusing on Spanish denominal verbs ending in - derived from body part nouns (e.g., ). These verbs illustrate morphological recategorization through an affix that is semantically underspecified, serving primarily to mark a categorial shift. They parallel English denominal verbs formed by conversion, as in “I was anxious to get inside and nose around her house,” where the noun nose functions as a verb.

The referential domain of body parts reflects fundamental human experience, providing a conceptual basis for verb formation and interpretation. As Kövecses and Radden (1998: 60) argue, the ease of creating and processing such verbs stems from common metonymic patterns. Specifically, verbs like and instantiate a primary metonymy, where a body part stands for the action it performs: (“hand”) for touching, (“eyelash”) for eyelash movement. Both cases exemplify the broader metonymic schema BODY PART FOR ACTION, with hands and eyelashes functioning as Instrument and Theme, respectively.

The analysis draws on dictionary definitions supplemented by corpus data to illustrate authentic usage. Findings suggest that Spanish verbs derived from body part nouns not only reflect cross-linguistic tendencies in the semantic extension of body part terms but also reveal language-internal variation shaped by cultural factors. This study thus contributes to understanding how metonymy motivates morphological processes and highlights the interplay between cognitive mechanisms and linguistic structure.

© 2026 John Benjamins Publishing Company
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/cogls.00143.mun
2026-04-17
2026-05-11

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/cogls.00143.mun
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Andersen, E. S.
    (1978) Lexical universals of body-part terminology. InJ. H. Greenberg (Ed.), Universals of human language: Volume 3: Word structure (pp. 335–368). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Barcelona, A.
    (2005) The multilevel operation on metonymy in grammar and discourse, with particular attention to metonymic chains. InF. J. Ruiz de Mendoza & M. S. Peña Cervel (Eds.), Cognitive linguistics: Internal dynamics and interdisciplinary interaction (pp. 313–352). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110197716.4.313
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110197716.4.313 [Google Scholar]
  3. (2007) The role of metonymy in meaning construction at discourse level: A case study. InG. Radden, K.-M. Köpcke, T. Berg & P. Siemund (Eds.), Aspects of meaning construction (pp. 51–75). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/z.136.06bar
     https://doi.org/10.1075/z.136.06bar [Google Scholar]
  4. (2011) Reviewing the properties and prototype structure of metonymy. InR. Benczes, A. Barcelona & F. J. Ruiz de Mendoza (Eds.), Defining metonymy in cognitive linguistics: Towards a consensus view (pp. 7–58). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/hcp.28.02bar
     https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.28.02bar [Google Scholar]
  5. Bergen, B.
    (2015) Embodiment. InE. Dąbrowska & D. Divjak (Eds.), Handbook of cognitive linguistics (pp. 10–30). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110292022‑002
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110292022-002 [Google Scholar]
  6. Brdar, M.
    (2017) Metonymy and word-formation: Their interactions and complementation. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. (2019) On the regularity of metonymy across languages (exemplified on some metonymies in medical discourse). Explorations in English Language and Linguistics, 7(1), 52–69. 10.2478/exell‑2020‑0006
     https://doi.org/10.2478/exell-2020-0006 [Google Scholar]
  8. Brdar, M., & Brdar Szabó, R.
    (2007) When Zidane is not simply Zidane, and Bill Gates is not just Bill Gates: Some thoughts on the construction of metaphtonymic meanings of proper names. InG. Radden, K.-M. Köpcke, T. Berg & P. Siemund (Eds.), Aspects of meaning construction (pp. 125–142). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/z.136.09brd
     https://doi.org/10.1075/z.136.09brd [Google Scholar]
  9. Brown, C. H.
    (1976) General principles of human anatomical partonomy and speculations on the growth of partonomic nomenclature. American Anthropologist, 3(3), 400–424. 10.1525/ae.1976.3.3.02a00020
     https://doi.org/10.1525/ae.1976.3.3.02a00020 [Google Scholar]
  10. (2013a) Finger and hand. InM. S. Dryer & M. Haspelmath (Eds.), The world atlas of language structures online. Munich: Max Planck Digital Library. Available online athttps://wals.info/chapter/130
     [Google Scholar]
  11. (2013b) Hand and arm. InM. S. Dryer & M. Haspelmath (Eds.), The world atlas of language structures online. Munich: Max Planck Digital Library. Available online athttps://wals.info/chapter/129
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Brown, C. H., & Witkowski, S. R.
    (1981) Figurative language in a universalist perspective. American Ethnologist, 8(3), 596–615. 10.1525/ae.1981.8.3.02a00110
     https://doi.org/10.1525/ae.1981.8.3.02a00110 [Google Scholar]
  13. (1983) Polysemy, lexical change and cultural importance. Man, 18 (1), 72–89. 10.2307/2801765
     https://doi.org/10.2307/2801765 [Google Scholar]
  14. Bybee, J., Perkins, R., & Pagliuca, W.
    (1994) The evolution of grammar: Tense, aspect, and modality in the languages of the world. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Clark, E. V., & Clark, H. H.
    (1979) When nouns surface as verbs. Language, 55(4), 767–811. 10.2307/412745
     https://doi.org/10.2307/412745 [Google Scholar]
  16. Croft, W., & Cruse, D. A.
    (2004) Cognitive linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511803864
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511803864 [Google Scholar]
  17. Dirven, R.
    (1999) Conversion as a conceptual metonymy of event schemata. InK.-U. Panther & G. Radden (Eds.), Metonymy in language and thought (pp. 275–289). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/hcp.4.16dir
     https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.4.16dir [Google Scholar]
  18. Enfield, N. J., Majid, A., & van Staden, M.
    (2006) Cross-linguistic categorisation of the body: Introduction. Language Sciences, 28(2–3), 137–147. 10.1016/j.langsci.2005.11.001
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2005.11.001 [Google Scholar]
  19. Evans, V.
    (2019) Cognitive linguistics: A complete guide (Second edition). Edinburgh: Edinburg University Press. 10.1515/9781474405232
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474405232 [Google Scholar]
  20. Foolen, A.
    (2017) The hand in figurative thought and language. InA. Athanasiadou (Ed.), Studies in figurative thought and language (pp. 179–198). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/hcp.56.07foo
     https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.56.07foo [Google Scholar]
  21. Geeraerts, D.
    (2002) The interaction of metaphor and metonymy in composite expressions. InR. Dirven & R. Pörings (Eds.), Metaphor and metonymy in comparison and contrast (pp. 435–468). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110219197.435
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110219197.435 [Google Scholar]
  22. Goossens, L.
    (1995) Metaphtonymy: The interaction of metaphor and metonymy in figurative expressions for linguistic action. InL. Goossens, P. Pauwels, B. Rudzka-Ostyn, A.-M. Simon-Vandenbergen & J. Vanparys (Eds.), By word of mouth: Metaphor, metonymy and linguistic action in a cognitive perspective (pp. 159–174). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.33.06goo
     https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.33.06goo [Google Scholar]
  23. Grady, J. E.
    (1997) Foundations of meaning: Primary metaphors and primary scenes. Berkeley: University of California at Berkeley.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Gruber, J. S.
    (1965) Studies in lexical relations. Doctoral dissertations. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  25. Gutiérrez Rubio, E.
    (2021) Metonymy in Spanish word formation. InA. Fábregas, V. Acedo-Matellán, G. Armstrong, M. C. Cuervo, I. Pujol Payet (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of Spanish morphology (pp. 399–415). London: Routledge. 10.4324/9780429318191‑31
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429318191-31 [Google Scholar]
  26. Heine, B.
    (1997) Cognitive foundations of grammar. New York: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oso/9780195102512.001.0001
     https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195102512.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  27. Heine, B., Claudi, U., & Hünnemeyer, F.
    (1991) Grammaticalization: A conceptual framework. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Hilpert, M.
    (2006) Keeping an eye on the data: Metonymies and their patterns. InA. Stefanowitsch & S. Th. Gries (Eds.), Corpus-based approaches to metaphor and metonymy (pp. 123–151). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110199895.123
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110199895.123 [Google Scholar]
  29. (2007) Chained metonymies in lexicon and grammar: A cross-linguistic perspective on body-part terms. InG. Radden, K.-M. Köpcke, T. Berg & P. Siemund (Eds.), Aspects of meaning construction (pp. 77–98). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/z.136.07hil
     https://doi.org/10.1075/z.136.07hil [Google Scholar]
  30. Janda, L. A.
    (2011) Metonymy in word formation. Cognitive Linguistics, 22(2), 359–392. 10.1515/cogl.2011.014
     https://doi.org/10.1515/cogl.2011.014 [Google Scholar]
  31. Johnson, M.
    (1987) The body in the mind: The bodily basis of meaning, imagination, and reason. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 10.7208/chicago/9780226177847.001.0001
     https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226177847.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  32. Kilgarriff, A., Rychlý, P., Smrz, P., & Tugwell, D.
    (2004) The sketch engine. InG. Williams & S. Vessier (Eds.), Proceedings of the 11th EURALEX International Congress (pp. 105–115). Vannes: Université de Bretagne-Sud.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Kövecses, Z., & Radden, G.
    (1998) Metonymy: Developing a cognitive linguistic view. Cognitive Linguistics, 9(1), 37–78. 10.1515/cogl.1998.9.1.37
     https://doi.org/10.1515/cogl.1998.9.1.37 [Google Scholar]
  34. Kövecses, Z., & Szabcó, P.
    (1996) Idioms: A view from cognitive semantics. Applied Linguistics, 17(3), 326–355. 10.1093/applin/17.3.326
     https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/17.3.326 [Google Scholar]
  35. Kraska-Szlenk, I.
    (2019) Metonymic extensions of the body part ‘head’ in mental and social domains. InI. Kraska-Szlenk (Ed.), Embodiment in cross-linguistic studies: The ‘head’ (pp. 136–154). Boston: Brill. 10.1163/9789004392410_009
     https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004392410_009 [Google Scholar]
  36. Lakoff, G.
    (1987) Women, fire, and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 10.7208/chicago/9780226471013.001.0001
     https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226471013.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  37. Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M.
    (1980) Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. (1999) Philosophy in the flesh: The embodied mind and its challenge to western thought. New York: Basic Books.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Langacker, R. W.
    (1987) Foundations of cognitive grammar: Vol. 1: Theoretical Prerequisites. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. (1993) Reference-point constructions. Cognitive Linguistics, 4(1), 1–38. 10.1515/cogl.1993.4.1.1
     https://doi.org/10.1515/cogl.1993.4.1.1 [Google Scholar]
  41. (1999) Grammar and conceptualization. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110800524
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110800524 [Google Scholar]
  42. Lindquist, H., & Levin, M.
    (2008) Foot and mouth: The phrasal patterns of two frequent nouns. InS. Granger & F. Meunier (Eds.), Phraseology: An interdisciplinary perspective (pp. 143–158). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/z.139.15lin
     https://doi.org/10.1075/z.139.15lin [Google Scholar]
  43. Maalej, Z., & Yu, N.
    (Eds.) (2011) Embodiment via body parts: Studies from various languages and cultures. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/hcp.31
     https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.31 [Google Scholar]
  44. Niemeier, S.
    (2000) Straight from the heart — métonymie and metaphorical explorations. InA. Barcelona (Ed.), Metaphor and metonymy at the crossroads: A cognitive perspective (pp. 195–213). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Panther, K.-U.
    (2005) The role of conceptual metonymy in meaning construction. InM. S. Peña Cervel & F. J. Ruiz de Mendoza (Eds.), Cognitive linguistics: Internal dynamics and interdisciplinary interaction (pp. 353–386). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110197716.4.353
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110197716.4.353 [Google Scholar]
  46. Panther, K.-U., & Thornburg, L. L.
    (2004) The role of conceptual metonymy in meaning construction. Metaphorik.de, 61, 91–116.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Paradis, C.
    (2004) Where does metonymy stop? Senses, facets, and active zones. Metaphor and Symbol, 19(4), 245–264. 10.1207/s15327868ms1904_1
     https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327868ms1904_1 [Google Scholar]
  48. Radden, G., & Kövecses, Z.
    (2007) Towards a theory of metonymy. InV. Evans, B. K. Bergen & J. Zinken (Eds.), The cognitive linguistics reader (pp. 335–359). London: Equinox.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Raynor, E.
    (2021) Colonial-era language shifts and the sources of substrate body partonomy in the Spanish of Northwestern Colombia. University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics, 27(1), Article 23.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Reddy, M. J.
    (1979) The conduit metaphor: A case of frame conflict in our language about language. InA. Ortony (Ed.), Metaphor and thought (pp. 164–201). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Ruiz de Mendoza, F. J. & O. I. Díez Velasco
    (2002) Patterns of conceptual interaction. InR. Dirven & R. Pörings (Eds.), Metaphor and metonymy in comparison and contrast (pp. 489–532). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110219197.489
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110219197.489 [Google Scholar]
  52. Sharifian, F., R. Dirven, Yu, N., & S. Niemeier
    (Eds.) (2008) Culture, body, and language: Conceptualizations of internal body organs across cultures and languages. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110199109
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110199109 [Google Scholar]
  53. Stępień, M. A.
    (2007) Metáfora y metonimia conceptual en la fraseología de cinco partes del cuerpo humano en español y polaco [Conceptual metaphor and metonymy in the phraseology of five body parts in Spanish and Polish]. Anuario de Estudios Filológicos, 301, 391–409.
     [Google Scholar]
  54. Svorou, S.
    (1994) The grammar of space. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/tsl.25
     https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.25 [Google Scholar]
  55. Sweetser, E. E.
    (1990) From etymology to pragmatics: Metaphorical and cultural aspects of semantic structure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511620904
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511620904 [Google Scholar]
  56. Talmy, L.
    (1988) Force dynamics in language and cognition. Cognitive Science, 12(1), 49–100. 10.1207/s15516709cog1201_2
     https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1201_2 [Google Scholar]
  57. Taylor, J. R.
    (1989) Linguistic categorization: Prototypes in linguistic theory. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  58. Thomou, P., & M. Koutoulaki
    (2022) From usage patterns to meaning construction: Evidence from ear and eye figurative constructions. Review of Cognitive Linguistics, 20(2), 305–329. 10.1075/rcl.00113.tho
     https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00113.tho [Google Scholar]
  59. Traugott, E. C., & Dasher, R. B.
    (2002) Regularity in semantic change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  60. Ullmann, S.
    (1962) Semantics: An introduction to the science of meaning. Oxford: Blackwell.
     [Google Scholar]
  61. Wen, X., & Jiang, C.
    (2021) Embodiment. InJ. R. Taylor & X. Wen (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of cognitive linguistics (pp. 145–160). London: Routledge. 10.4324/9781351034708‑11
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351034708-11 [Google Scholar]
  62. Wierzbicka, A.
    (2007) Bodies and their parts: An NSM approach to semantic typology. Language Sciences, 29(1),14–65. 10.1016/j.langsci.2006.07.002
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2006.07.002 [Google Scholar]
  63. Wilkins, D. P.
    (1996) Natural tendencies of semantic change and the search for cognates. InM. Durie & M. Ross (Eds.), The comparative method reviewed: Regularity and irregularity in language change (pp. 264–304). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oso/9780195066074.003.0010
     https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195066074.003.0010 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/cogls.00143.mun
Loading
Metonymy in morphological recategorization
Cognitive Linguistic Studies 13, 107 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1075/cogls.00143.mun
/content/journals/10.1075/cogls.00143.mun
/content/journals/10.1075/cogls.00143.mun
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): body part nouns; cultural cognition; embodiment; metonymic chain; metonymy; recategorization; Spanish denominal verbs in -ear

Most Cited

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error