Charles Explorer logo
🇬🇧

Corporeality and Study of Somatisms intThe Perspective of Anthropology Linguistics

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2012

Abstract

Anthropology linguistics emphasizes human orientation of linguistics thinking. Its cognitive and cultural dimensions are significant.

According to cognitivism, the basis of human approach to the world is formed by body experience; the core of anthropocentrism is represented by "bodycentrism" (A. Wierzbicka) and it is strongly reflected in semantic structure of the language.

The philosophical base of the linguistic study of corporeality can be formed by phenomenology. According to J.

Patočka, I is possible only as a body; a body is the "centre of perspectives" and as the only phenomenon it has an emotional, sensual and kinetic dimensions. It situates the object within the space and the whole of the world as well as within society, or as the case may be, in relation with the other: it is the axis of personal situation structures (I - you - he) which are based on language and communication.

Systematic research of Czech language image of the world can start with vocabulary connected with human body, especially with somatisms (names of human-body parts). Following the theory of conceptual profiles by J.

Bartmiński we try to find the group of kriteria which will be relevant for the description and interpretation of that lexicon, that is which can show given concepts in the light of their individual meaningful centres (profiles), from which meaningful extensions start, in a corporeal and structural way. These extensions are connected via metaphor and metonymy with conceptualization of the space and movement, quantity (size, height, number, measure) but also with various positions of inner experience, evaluation, communication etc.

It can be predicted (and it corresponds with opinions of some Polish authors) that especially profiles of appearance, function and location will be activated with somatisms also in Czech; the rest still remains open.