Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 33:1 (Apr 2022)
Article: Metonymic Conceptualization Of Body Parts In The Greek New Testament
Author: Charles Owiredu

Conspectus 33:1 (April 2022) p. 26

Metonymic Conceptualization Of Body Parts In The Greek New Testament

Charles Owiredu

Daniel Institute, Central University

About The Author

Prof. Charles Owiredu is a Langham scholar and holds a Ph.D. from Durham University, England. He is a theologian, an educator, and an anthropologist. His area of interest is in Biblical Studies and African Thought. He is a faculty member at Central University in Ghana. He has taught Biblical Languages in several universities. [email protected];[email protected]

This article: https://www.sats.ac.za/metonymic-conceptualization-body-parts

Abstract

This paper examines the metonymic structure of body parts in the Greek New Testament within the framework of the Conceptual Metonymy Theory. The question is, “How are body parts conceptualized in the Greek New Testament?” The aim is to explore the ways in which body parts and their functions are conceptually used in the New Testament in reference to the whole person. Data are drawn from the New Testament Greek text, and qualitative analysis is conducted. The data reveal that in the New Testament Greek language, metonymically, body parts are conceptualized as “body part stands for the person,” “body part stands for activity,” and “body part stands for its content.”

Keywords

body parts, New Testament, Greek language, metonymy, Conceptual Metonymy Theory, cognitive linguistics

1. Introduction

This article investigates the body metonymies applied in the body terms in the New Testament from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. The New Testament Greek text was chosen as the data for the study. The article analyzes the BODY PART STANDS FOR PERSON, BODY PART STANDS FOR ACTIVITY, and BODY PART STANDS FOR ITS CONTENT metonymies.

The body plays a crucial role in our meaning construction (Gibbs 2003). Various terms for body parts have been understood as productive sources of figurative and lexical meaning (Deignan and Potter 2004; Niemeier 2003) and grammatical meaning (Hollenbach 1995; Matsumoto 1999). Metonymy, as a figure of speech, is a common literary device found in almost any text, and the Bible is no exception. Since some of the metonymies found in the New Testament are referenced in many other texts and repeated in

Conspectus 33:1 (April 2022) p. 27

sermons preached, it is important to be familiar with them and understand what they mean, conceptually as well. Metonymy, a cognitive phenomenon, is a process in which a given entity or event is employed to refer to another related entity or event. In the New Testament, it is comm...