Java e Shkencës 2012 - Universiteti i Prishtinës

KONFERENCA VJETORE E SHKENCËS ‘JAVA E SHKENCËS 2012
Ma. Rozeta BICI 1 : METAPHORIZATION OF THE TERMS DENOTING HUMAN
BODY PARTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE
1 ALEKSANDER XHUVANI UNIVERSITY
HUMAN SCIENCE FACULTY
ENGLISH –GERMAN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT
ELBASAN, ALBANIA
At present, metaphor has been considered as a figure of speech and it has always
been treated as such in the field of literature. But not always it is an analysis object in the
field of literature, but as well in the field of linguistics. As a result, the article will treat
linguistic metaphor, as well as, it will investigate one of the sciences that analyzes it better,
semantics and its kinds. Later on the article will shed light on the ways of English lexicon
enrichment through the horizontal and vertical enrichment, where polisemy appears as one of
the best sources of it. The other section of the article will treat metaphor expressed by human
body parts names. As well, it is emphasized the application of human body parts
metaphorization in a class and the effects it has in the process of teaching.
First, it is of academic interest the paper starts with the definition of the term
metaphor in the contexts it is encountered. Thus, metaphor is defined as “a figure of speech
in which a noun or a descriptive word is transferred in another object or action different or
analogues to it, that is applied in literary meaning; a unit of which, a metaphorical
expression” 228 . Apart from this, metaphor and metaphorization are applied in linguistic
context, being labeled as linguistic metaphor. Thus, studied by historical linguistics, it is
defined as “a semantic change, based on similarity, e.g. Similarity in the form or function
between the original concept that manes a word and the concept addressed named by this
word.” 229
Since from the definition done to metaphor, it is noticed that the science which plays
an important role in the understanding of linguistic metaphor is semantics. As a result,
semantics and its kinds give its nuances of understanding to metaphor. Therefore, Structural
Semantics, Generative Semantics, and Cognitive Semantics are the sciences which will be
228 http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/117328?redirectedFrom=metaphor#eid
229 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor
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