A FEW METAPHORICAL SOURCE DOMAINS FOR EMOTIONS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

  • Alec Basson Ancient Studies Stellenbosch University
Keywords: Emotions, Source Domains, Cognitive Linguistics

Abstract

Emotions are an essential part of human existence and the communication (verbal as well as non-verbal) thereof is fundamental to everyday interaction. Furthermore, the way in which emotions are expressed and interpreted is crucial to interpersonal relations. This paper contends that our biblical counterparts employed different verbal (literal as well as figurative) strategies to express an infinite number of emotional states. One such strategy is conceptual metaphor. It is argued that there is a link between the metaphorical conceptualization and articulation of emotions. Moreover, the investigation shows that different metaphorical source domains are used to express specific emotions. By taking recourse to cognitive linguistics, this contribution examines the relevant linguistic evidence from the Old Testament as a means of illuminating the aforementioned notions.
Published
2013-06-12
Section
Articles