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Article In: International Journal of Language and Culture: Online-First Articles

The flower of the throat

Cultural metaphorical embodiment in the Zo’é language

ORCiD logo with link | University of Brasilia
 | University of Brasilia
 | University of Brasilia
 | Ministério da Saúde
 | University of Brasilia
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Abstract
This article analyses metaphorical and metonymic expressions in the Zo’é language, with an emphasis on constructions related to parts of the human body. Examples of lexicalized metaphors and metonymies are examined, considering their morphological and morphosyntactic formation, as well as their respective pragmatic uses. The theoretical framework is grounded in the cultural dimensions of the metaphorical embodiment process (Brenzinger, M., & Kraska-Szlenk, I. (Eds.). (2014). The body in language: Comparative studies of linguistic embodiment. Brill. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Kövecses, Z. (2005). Metaphor in Culture. Universality and Variation. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; (Ed.). (2020). Body part terms in conceptualization and language usage. John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Maalej, Z. A., & Yu, N. (Eds.). (2011). Embodiment via body parts: Studies from various languages and cultures. John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Yu, N. (2009). From body to meaning in culture: Papers on cognitive semantic studies of Chinese. John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). The study seeks to contribute with the Zo’é data to the question “which metaphors, or which aspects of metaphorical knowledge emerge from the interaction between a common body schema and a shared physical world, and which arise from culturally specific bodily experiences, carried out in a particular natural and social environment. The research corpus was compiled from the Linguistic Support Manual for Health Care Services for the Zo’é People (Cabral, A. S. A. C., Jennings, E., & Pinto, S. B. (2019). Manual linguístico de apoio ao atendimento de saúde junto ao povo Zo’é. LALLI.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) and the Manual of Semiological Questions in the Zo’é Language (Cabral & Sompré, in preparation). These data enabled the identification of metaphorical and metonymic patterns and mechanisms through which speakers of the Zo’é language name and conceptualize human body parts, thereby revealing the underlying conceptual mapping patterns involved.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Some notes on the Zo’é and their language
    • 1.2Typological characteristics of Zo’é
    • 1.3Methodology
  • 2.Cultural metaphorical embodiment
    • 2.1The human body as an object of metaphorical conceptualization in the Zo’é language
    • 2.2The human body as a source domain for conceptualization processes in the Zo’é language
  • 3.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • Author queries
  • References
References (34)
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