1887
Volume 7, Issue 2
  • ISSN 2214-3157
  • E-ISSN: 2214-3165
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

This study describes the relationship between language, culture and conceptualization, considering in particular the embodied cultural metaphors of ‘heart’ and ‘liver’. The recent study by Kraska-Szlenk (2014) on the semantic analysis of Swahili body terminology has demonstrated that (heart) has a prominent role in the conceptualization of numerous emotional states, with several different metaphorical meanings (e.g., love, generosity, will). However, from a diachronic perspective, (liver) is equally important for the metaphorical expression of emotions or character traits in Swahili. Considering in addition the practice of Swahili traditional medicine (), this study highlights Swahili bodily conceptualizations involved in the expression of emotions and personal traits. The data were collected mostly through interviews with Swahili speakers during fieldwork conducted in Tanzania.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/ijolc.18003.tra
2021-03-08
2025-02-06
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Bagasheva, A.
    (2017) Cultural Conceptualisations of MOUTH, LIPS, TONGUE and TEETH in Bulgarian and English. In Sharifian, F. (Ed.) Advances in Cultural Linguistics (pp.189–222). Singapore: Springer Nature. 10.1007/978‑981‑10‑4056‑6_10
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4056-6_10 [Google Scholar]
  2. Berendt, A. Eicho & Tanita, A.
    (2011) The ‘Heart’ of Things: A Conceptual Metaphoric Analysis of Heart and Related Body Parts in Thai, Japanese and English. Intercultural Communication StudiesXX, 165–78.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Cardona, G. R.
    (1995) La foresta di piume: Manuale di etnoscienza. Bari: Edizioni Laterza.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Chiaki, F.
    (2011) Comparative Studies of the Medicine of the Sunna and Uganga. Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies, 4(1&2), (March 2011), 156–189.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Erdtsieck, J.
    (2001) Nambela Mganga wa Pepo. Mambo afanyayo mganga wa tiba ya asili kwa uwezo wa pepo nchini Tanzania [Nambela Spiritual Doctor. What a traditional doctor can do through the spiritual power in Tanzania]. Dar es Salaam: Dar es Salaam University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. (2003) In the Spirit of Uganga – inspired healing and healership in Tanzania. Amsterdam: Universiteit van Amsterdam/AGIDS.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Firsching, H.
    (2015) Temperature terms in selected African languages. A pilot study. In Tamm, M.-K. (Ed.). The Linguistics of Temperature. Typological Studies in Language107 (pp.187–212). John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/tsl.107.07fir
    https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.107.07fir [Google Scholar]
  8. Geeraerts, D. , Grondelares, S.
    (1995) Looking back at anger: Cultural traditions and metaphorical patterns. In Taylor, John R. & MacLaury, Robert E. (Eds.) Language and the Cognitive Construal of the World (pp.153–179). DE GRUYTER MOUTON. 10.1515/9783110809305.153
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110809305.153 [Google Scholar]
  9. Heine, B. & Kuteva, T.
    (2004) World Lexicon of Grammaticalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511613463
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511613463 [Google Scholar]
  10. Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M.
    (1980) Metaphors we live by. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Kim, C.
    (2009) Jinn Possession and Uganga (Healing) among the Swahili: A phenomenological Exploration of Swahili Experiences of Jinn. Torch Trinity Centre for Islamic Studies Journal, 67–87.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Kövecses, Z.
    (1986) Metaphors of Anger, Pride and Love: A Lexical Approach to the Structure of Concepts. (Pragmatics and Beyond VII:8). Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pb.vii.8
    https://doi.org/10.1075/pb.vii.8 [Google Scholar]
  13. (1995) Anger: Its language, conceptualization, and physiology in the light of cross-cultural evidence. In Taylor, John R. & MacLaury, Robert E. (Eds.) Language and the Cognitive Construal of the World (pp.181–196). Berlin & New York: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110809305.181
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110809305.181 [Google Scholar]
  14. Kraska-Szlenk, I.
    (2005) Metaphors and metonymy in the semantics of body parts: A contrastive analysis. In Górska, E. & Radden, G. (Eds.) Metonymy-Metaphor Collage (pp.157–176). Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. (2014) Semantics of Body Part Terms: General Trends and a Case Study of Swahili. LINCOM studies in semantics 06. Munich: LINCOM Europa.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Matzuki, K.
    (1995) Metaphors of anger in Japanese. In Taylor, John R. & MacLaury, Robert E. (Eds.) Language and the Cognitive Construal of the World (pp.137–152). Berlin & New York: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110809305.137
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110809305.137 [Google Scholar]
  17. Parkin, D. J.
    (2000) Islam among the Humors: destiny and agency among the Swahili. In Karp, I. & Masolo, D. A. (Eds.) African philosophy as cultural inquiry (pp.50–65). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. (2013) Balancing Diversity and Well-being: Words, Concepts, and Practice in East-Africa. In Horden, P. & Hsu, E. (Eds.) The body in balance: humoral medicines in practice. (pp.171–196) New York & Oxford: Berghahn Books.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Racine, O.
    (2019) Les vilinge ou confréries traditionnelles dans la region sud de l’île de Zanzibar à la fin du 20éme siècle. In Aiello & Gaudioso (Eds.) Lugha na Fasihi. Essays in honour and memory of Elena Bertoncini Zúbková (pp.339–361). Napoli: UniorPress.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Santangelo, P.
    (2009) Reconstructing Fragments of Emotions: Textual Analysis for Research of the Representation of States of Mind in East Asia. In Pawlak, N. (Ed.) Codes and rituals of emotions in Asian and African cultures (pp.15–59). Warszawa: ELIPSA.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Sharifian, F.
    (2014) Cultural Linguistics. In Sharifian, F. (Ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Language and Culture (pp.473–492). London & New York: Routledge. 10.4324/9781315793993
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315793993 [Google Scholar]
  22. (2017) Cultural Linguistics. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/clscc.8
    https://doi.org/10.1075/clscc.8 [Google Scholar]
  23. Swartz, M. J.
    (1992) On the two bodies in swahili Culture: Similarities in understanding of the body and society. In Maw, J. & Picton, J. (Eds.) Concepts of the Body/Self in Africa (pp.33–54). Wien: Afro-Pub.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Taylor, R. J. & Mbense, G. T.
    (1998) Red dogs and rotten mealies: How Zuluz talk about anger. In Athanasiadou, A. & Tabakowska, E. (Eds.) Speaking of emotions. Conceptualisation and Expression (pp.191–226). Berlin & New York: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110806007.191
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110806007.191 [Google Scholar]
  25. Topan, F. M.
    (1971) Oral literature in a ritual setting: the role of spirit songs in a spirit-mediumship cult of Mombasa, Kenya. SOAS, University of London. Thesis (Ph.D.)
    [Google Scholar]
  26. (1992) Body and Self in a Spirit Mediumship Cult of Mombasa. In Maw, J. & Picton, J. (eds.), Concepts of the Body/Self in Africa (pp.55–66). Wien: Afro-Pub.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Türker, E.
    (2013) A corpus-based approach to emotion metaphors in Korean. A case study of anger, happiness, and sadness. Review of Cognitive Linguistics, 11(1), 73–144. 10.1075/rcl.11.1.03tur
    https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.11.1.03tur [Google Scholar]
  28. Yu, N.
    (2007) Heart and cognition in ancient Chinese philosophy. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 7, 27–47. 10.1163/156853707X171801
    https://doi.org/10.1163/156853707X171801 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/ijolc.18003.tra
Loading
  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): body; conceptualizations; culture; metaphors; Swahili
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