Compared with other common nouns, human body words (hereinafter referred to as HBWs) are strikingly polysemous. Cognitive studies of the polysemy of HBWs have obtained many achievements in recent years, but there still exist some deficiencies, which is dealt with in this book. Based on Embodied Philosophy, category theory, metaphor and metonymy, the book aims to analyze the meanings of HBWs, particularly “foot” and “blood” in order to discuss the essence of polysemy from cognitive perspective, and then on the basis of the theoretical research the book proposes some practical implications for English vocabulary learning. The book focuses on the research of metaphorical and metonymic characteristics of HBWs by analyzing the meanings of “foot” and “blood”. There are two kinds of metaphorical mappings based on similarity, i.e. the interactional mapping between body domain and non-body domain, among which there are three sub-mappings from body domain to non-body domain: mappings of shape and appearance, mappings of situation and mappings of function. As to metonymy, there are mainly three types of metonymies concerning body parts: body part for person, body part for its relevant characteristics and body part for its relevant action. The meanings of “blood” are more polysemous when describing the relevant characteristics. The students should lay emphasis on the interaction between human body and the world, on the basic-level terms rather than spending too much time in reciting those infrequent words, and on the role of metaphor and metonymy rather than memorizing the words mechanically.

This comparative volume explores how speakers across languages use the concept of the ‘face’ to describe emotions, human interaction, and directions. The analyses discuss cognitive processes involved in extending human body parts to concepts beyond the body.

The monograph presents new findings and perspectives in the study of variation in metonymy, both theoretical and methodological. Theoretically, it sheds light on metonymy from an onomasiological perspective, which helps to discover the different conceptual or lexical "pathways" through which a concept or a group of concepts has been designated by going back to the source concepts. In addition, it broadens the perspective of Cognitive Linguistics research on metonymy by looking into how metonymic conceptualization and usage may vary along various dimensions. Three case studies explore significant variation in metonymy across different languages, time periods, genres and social lects. Methodologically, the monograph responds to the call in Cognitive Linguistics to adopt usage-based empirical methodologies. The case studies show that quantification and statistical techniques constitute essential parts of an empirical analysis based on corpus data. The empirical findings demonstrate the essential need to extend research on metonymy in a variationist Cognitive Linguistics direction by studying metonymy’s cultural, historical and social-lectal variation.

Linguistics: A Functionalist Introduction is a concise, accessible guide to the fundamentals of language and expression for students that are new to the subject. Unlike other introductions, this book uses a functionalist framework that reflects the way language users form, derive and change meaning in a holistic way: not just through the technical construction of sentences but from how language is experienced, used, stored and processed in the mind. Beginning by introducing the concept of linguistics and different approaches to the subject, the book progresses to introducing the building blocks of language, with chapters on phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. The scope then broadens out to examine language in context and use, including language change, writing systems, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and language acquisition. Each chapter is enriched with examples to aid learning. This textbook is an ideal choice for students or instructors looking for a more intuitive approach to learning the fundamentals of linguistics, and is ideal for introductory linguistics classes within a variety of programs, including and especially future language arts teachers.

Meaning in Translation: Illusion of Precision represents a collection of papers on fundamental and applied research on a wide range of linguistic topics, including terminology standardisation and harmonisation, the pragmatic, semantic and grammatical aspects of meaning in translation, and the translation of sacred, legal, poetic, promotional and scientific and technical texts. This volume offers a platform where scholars from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds, studying a variety of subjects, share their opinions on matters of utmost importance in the field of translation theory and practice. This book will appeal to researchers working within the various fields of linguistics, language planners, terminologists, practicing translators, and students at all levels, as well as anybody interested in the dynamic development of a language.

"There are books—few and far between—which carefully, delightfully, and genuinely turn your head inside out. This is one of them. It ranges over some central issues in Western philosophy and begins the long overdue job of giving us a radically new account of meaning, rationality, and objectivity."—Yaakov Garb, San Francisco Chronicle

This book deals with the interplay between word-formation and metonymy. It shows that, like metaphor, metonymy interacts in important ways with morphological structure, but also warns us against a virtually unconstrained conception of metonymy. The central claim here is that word-formation and metonymy are distinct linguistic components that complement and mutually constrain each other. Using linguistic data from a variety of languages, the book provides ample empirical support for its thesis. It is much more than a systematic study of two neglected linguistic phenomena, for a long time thought to be unimportant by linguists. Through exposing and explaining the intricate interaction between metonymy and word formation from a cognitive linguistic perspective, the reader is presented with a sense of the amazing complexity of the development of linguistic systems. This book will be essential reading for scholars and advanced students interested in the role of figuration in grammar.