Metaphors of the body

Bonvillain, Nancy

Introduction:

• Our relationships with bodies are intimately embedded in our language through metaphors. We refer to the 'mouth of a cave' and the 'foot of a mountain'. We give someone 'a hand' and keep our 'ear to the ground'. This kind of process is a really such a big help to those people who are not capable of expressing themselves directly to someone. This lesson may help the students or the learners to have some additional ideas on how they are going to express themselves in such a unique way through the use of the human body parts as metaphors.

Objectives:

• The students will be able to know the different body-part terms that is used as an analogous to animate or inanimate objects.

• The students will choose to express their feelings in a different way without the feeling of doubting himself.

• The students will have the appropriate knowledge on how are they going to express themselves through using metaphoric constructions.

MOTIVATIONAL DRILL

CHARADE

This topic will tackle about the use of body part terms to describe actions or state or to label inanimate objects.

Examples:

Leg of a table Arm of a chair

• In English, we also use body part imagery in more complex verbal expressions.

Examples:

Let’s get to the heart of the matter.

She’s willing to face her problem.

She shoulders many responsibilities.

The criminal fingered his accomplice.

Widespread use of corporeal metaphors, probably results from the fact that human beings give central importance to their own bodies.

• Corporeal metaphor- using body-part terms as a metaphor.

We extend the imagery of body to inanimate objects and to description of activities.

- It is a process of observing and experiencing the world through human eyes and by analogy with human form. 

• Many languages use body- part terms to describe activities or non corporeal activities.

• Zapotec – a language spoken in Oaxaca Mexico

Examples:

Hand- front legs of a four legged animal

Foot- hind legs

• An animal is described “as if” it were walking on all fours (ibid...121). • In addition, human body-part names are extended metaphorically to describe inanimate

objects by the following analogies:

Top- head

Front- belly

Upper front- face

Lower front- foot

Back- back

Side- side

Underneath- bottom or buttocks

Entrance, opening- mouth or lips

Inside- stomach

• According to Hollenback (1995), nearby indigenous languages belonging to the Mextican family also extend body-part terms, endowing them with many complex meanings.

 • Projecting Space

-The space that projects out from a part of the body that was being used for analogous parts of inanimate objects.

Examples:

The area on front of the house.

The front surface of the house.

The space near the foot of the tree.

• Mohawk language

- Frequently uses noun morphemes for body in verbs with metaphoric meaning.

Examples: He cut the body in half.

He judged it, weighed it.

Your brain is stirred, mixed.

You’re crazy.

I broke her breath in two pieces.

I choked her.

I stand up my inner ear to her.

I take her advice.

• Human senses frequently provide the basis for metaphoric constructs. In English, the visual sense is particularly prone to such uses,

 

Examples:

 

I see what you mean.

That was an insightful remark.

 • Combination of visual, lineal and bodily metaphors.

 

Example:

I can see where this argument is heading.