Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 31:1 (Apr 2021)
Article: Metaphoric And Metonymic Conceptualization Of The Nose In Hebrew And Twi
Author: Charles Owiredu

Conspectus 31:1 (April 2021) p. 36

Metaphoric And Metonymic Conceptualization Of The Nose In Hebrew And Twi

Charles Owiredu1

Daniel Institute, Central University

Abstract

This paper examines the metaphorical and metonymic structure of the “nose” in Biblical Hebrew and Twi, a Kwa language spoken in Ghana, West Africa. The study is done within the framework of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory propounded by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). The aim is to analyze the ways in which the body part אַף (nose) isused inthe Hebrew Bible to express human experiences, and to compare them with their translations in the Akuapem Twi Bible (ATB 1964). The data reveal that there are some striking cross- conceptual and cross-linguistic similarities and differences between Hebrew and the Twi language with respect to the metaphorical and metonymic conceptualization of anger in relation to the locus of emotion. While Biblical Hebrew locates anger in the nose, Twi locates it in the chest. The Biblical Hebrew term for “nose,” אַף also refers to the “face,” the “eyebrow,” and the “whole person” in various contexts. The difference in the language-specific conceptualization may be attributed to the cultural model embedded in the two languages.

Keywords

anger, metonymy, Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Twi Hebrew

1. Introduction

Recent years have witnessed a good number of studies which focus on the conceptualization of external body organs in many languages. The metaphoric and metonymic conceptualization of body parts such as the head, face, heart, and hand have recently drawn the interest of scholars (e.g., Wolters 2011; Moshenrose 2012; Blechmen 2005; Fan 2017; Dzokoto et al. 2016). Additionally, there has been considerable progress in the discussion of the nose in the Hebrew Bible. Recent contributions have been made on the subject by Amzallag (2017, 2018), Kotzé (2005), and Wrenn (2020). However, previous research has overlooked the metaphorical and metonymic pattern of nose conceptualization in the Hebrew Bible and its

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translation as well as interpretation in Ghanaian languages. The present study aims to fill the gap.

Kruger (2000) has noted that the subject of emotions in the Hebrew Bible is a most-neglected theme that deserves an extensive treatment. Kotzé (2005) observes that the cognitive model of anger, as understood by the ancient Israelites, was motivated by experiential factors such as bodily changes associated with the emotion and aspects of nonverbal communication of anger. The word