1887
Volume 6, Issue 2
  • ISSN 2210-4070
  • E-ISSN: 2210-4097
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Abstract

This paper addresses metaphorical extensions of , which means ‘body’ in Akan, a Ghanaian language. In Akan, as in many other languages, body part expressions and bodily functions have extended meanings that still relate to the basic sense of the words. Expressions derived from are used to talk about emotions and character traits, perhaps more extensively and pervasively than equivalent lexis in English. The data for this study are taken from interviews, questionnaires, an Akan dictionary, Akan literature, the Akan Bible and recorded materials from radio discussions. The paper supports claims in the literature that there is a strong relationship between people’s conceptual, environmental, and cultural experiences and their linguistic systems.

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/content/journals/10.1075/msw.6.2.07agy
2016-10-14
2024-12-01
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/content/journals/10.1075/msw.6.2.07agy
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): body-part language; cognitive semantics; embodiment; emotion; metaphor
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