A cognitive approach to the role of body parts in the conceptualization of emotion metaphors

This paper attemps to offer a basic blueprint for the analysis of metaphors for emotion" and some realted abstract constructs which exploit body parts in their source domains. We adopt the well-known cognitive linguistics framework, in which metaphor is understood as a way of understanding and reasoning about the world (see Johnson, 1987; Lakoff, 1987; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, 1999; Lakoff & Turner, 1989). As observed by Kovecses (1986, 1990, 1991), emotions, Like other abstract concepts such as pain or trouble, are hard to conceptualize unless we make use of metaphor and image-schemas, among other cognitive models. In this paper, we provide further evidence in this respect. In order to do so, we shall first distinguish between prototypical and less prototyp.cal body parts in the conceptualization of emotions. Secondly, we shall distinguish between metaphors based on the CONTAINER image-schema and those in which such a construct playa no role.