Rooted in the body : Arabic metaphor and morphology / Lisa J. White ; illustrated by Mahmoud Shaltout.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

White, Lisa J., author.

Contributor:

Shaltūt, Maḥmūd, 1984- illustrator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Arabic language--Morphology.

Arabic language.

Arabic language--Figures of speech.

Arabic language--Grammar.

Human body and language--Arab countries.

Human body and language.

Arab countries.

Physical Description:

xiii, 281 pages : illustrations ; 29 cm

Place of Publication:

Cairo, Egypt ; New York, NY : American University in Cairo Press, 2021.

Language Note:

Includes English and Arabic text.

Summary:

"We are all married to our bodies, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. As a result, the body is a hard-wired, powerful presence in thought and speech. Rooted in the Body: Arabic Metaphor and Morphology considers this basic premise of linguistic embodiment and shows how it is especially true of Arabic. Consciously and unconsciously, speakers of Arabic use reams of vocabulary derived from the body, making it an ideal springboard for a deeper and more nuanced understanding of Arabic morphology. Structurally speaking, Arabic is a language built on abstract roots, short sequences of single consonants that are systematically modified to produce actual vocabulary. Learning to recognize and manipulate those roots is an invaluable skill, especially for non-native adult learners, because it lightens their memorization load significantly. Rooted in the Body uses delightful side-by-side essays and comic illustrations to invite readers to explore Arabic's signature morphology as they reflect on some 120 metaphorically charged body parts. On the long road to proficiency, lexical precision is important, but so, too, is cultural fluency. As it demystifies the links between morphology and semantics, Rooted in the Body also uses citations from Arabic's rich cultural history to highlight the body's vital role in language. This book will be a fascinating and invaluable resource, not only for advanced learners of Arabic but for linguists, rhetoricians, and philosophers of language."-- Publisher website.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Key to Body Parts

Introduction

Body Parts

Appendix 1: Multiple Designations

Appendix 2: Frequency of Body Patterns

Notes

Note on Citations

Index by Arabic Root.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9774169778

9789774169779

OCLC:

1140352051

Publisher Number:

99986924947