Lexical Field and Language Universals Analysis of Body Parts in Persian and English: A Typological Approach

زبانشناسی و گویش های خراسان

Article 2, Volume 16, Issue 2 - Serial Number 35, November 2024, Pages 53-33   

Document Type: Original Article

DOI: 10.22067/jlkd.2024.89179.1260

Authors

Vali Rezai^{* 1}; Mahdeih Abbaspour²

¹Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

²PhD Candidate of Linguistics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

This study employed a typological approach to examine the terminology used for lower body parts in Persian and English. The aim was to identify commonalities and divergences in the naming and categorization of the parts of the lower limb, while also assessing the validity of proposed linguistic universals in this field. Despite linguistic and cultural differences, the findings revealed significant similarities in the general classification of lower limbs between the two languages, with six main categories identified in both. However, variations exist in the specific terminology and categorization details, suggesting the influence of cultural and worldview differences on bodily conceptualization. Further, an examination of language universals indicates that while some hold true across both languages, others are not fully supported. This research underscores that even with shared underlying concepts, languages can exhibit distinct semantic systems in their representation of the human body.

Keywords

Lexical Typology; Lexical Field; The Names of the Limbs; Language Universals

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