Figurative Expressions Relating to Human Body Parts in Najdi Arabic Proverbs: a Cognitive-Linguistic Approach

Abstract

This thesis investigates the various modes of figurative language in 43 Najdi proverbs derived from al-Juhaymān’s seminal work الأمثال الشعبية في قلب جزيرة العرب al-Amṯālu aš-Šaʕbiyyatu fī Qalbi Jazīrati al-ʕarab ‘Popular Proverbs from the Heart of the Arab Peninsula’. In essence, this research work aims to answer the following research questions: 1. What is the proportion of human body-part proverbs among the different figures of speech used in Najdi Arabic?; 2. What is the most frequent figure of speech with regard to the physical body parts and limbs?; 3. What are the respective frequencies of different figurative meanings for each human body-part proverb?; and 4. What is the most frequent figurative meaning of each body part? Chapter 1 provides an introduction that incorporates the following core issues: sources of data; theoretical objectives for choosing to investigate proverbs involving the head, face, nose, tongue, hand, and leg; a list of proverbs chosen for this study; an elucidation of the prevailing research gap; the analytical goals of the study; the key research questions being assessed; an explication of the reasons for choosing bayān (tropes) and conceptual metaphors for the study; general definitions of proverbs; a brief background of the Arabic language; a concise presentation of the history and cultural features of the Najdi region; and lastly, there will be an examination of the role of proverbs in Najdi culture. Chapter 2 addresses the conceptual contours of culture, societal values, as well as a brief introduction to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Chapter 3 presents the theoretical demarcations of proverbs, namely by covering their historical origins and aspects; formal and structural-semantic features; the main differences between proverbs and other similar tropes; the categories and characteristics of proverbs; communicative and social functions of such maxims; the understanding of culture through proverbs, and finally the classification of proverbs in relation to figuration. Chapter 4 explores the place of figurative language in Arabic rhetoric compared to its status in Western approaches, especially from the perspective of cognitive linguistics; it also examines bayān motifs and the dynamics of Conceptual Metaphor Theory; lastly, some examples of the figurative meanings of the six body parts – which are the theoretical focus of this section – are evaluated. Chapter 5 explains the methodology of this study with reference to its philosophy, strategy, and design. Chapter 6 is the core of the thesis, analysing the body-part itself as well as the overall meaning of each of the selected proverbs. This is conducted using bayān tropes and Conceptual Metaphor Theory. Chapter 7 presents a discussion of the analyses conducted in Chapter 6, as well as providing a conclusion to the results emerging from this study. Chapter 7 intensively explores the results of analysing the data in Chapter 6 through the theme of bayān and the conceptual prism of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. Finally, chapter 8 provides answers to the research questions.