Using body part terms to begin a dictionary.pdfVIP

Body parts: Dictionary / Karl Franklin / p. 1 USING BODY PART TERMS TO BEGIN A DICTIONARY1 Karl J. Franklin Summer Institute of Linguistics 0. INTRODUCTION In this article I suggest that lexicographers should choose body parts as a natural and beginning semantic domain.2 There are a number of reasons why such an approach is helpful: First of all, body part terms readily provide examples of a part-whole lexical hierarchy (a meronomy according to Cruse 1986). Secondly, body part terms are highly metaphorical and illustrate metonymy and other figurative extensions (Nida 1975; Lakoff and Turner 1989). Because of this other semantic domains are associated with body parts, for example, parts of animals and plants, as well as parts of automobiles (Blasso 1967). Thirdly, the terms for emotions spring from body avenues, as do many other expressions concerning emotions (Lakoff 1987). Finally, body parts are commonly categorized in ways that are reflected grammatically. When examining sets of body parts notions of possession, instrumentality, and location are frequently encountered. Additionally, although body parts are most easily elicited as nouns, they readily derive verbs, adjectives and compounds. In addition, verbal actions arise naturally from body parts, for example hand to handle, leg to kick, or tongue to taste. Further verbal extensions are readily built upon a schema involving additional body parts: to go by foot, to carry on the shoulder, to sleep with the head on the pillow. I return to this later. Many of the reasons I have given supporting the use of body terms for early dictionary compilation apply to other domains as well. However, the discussion which follows will illustrate how a dictionary compiler can most profitably begin with body part terms to describe associated semantic relation. In so doing the compiler will also discover how anatomical lexemes are of significant importance in the culture. 1. FOL