Embodiment in colloquial Arabic proverbs: A cognitive linguistic perspective

• Published in: Open Linguistics
• Main Authors: Alhazmi Albatool Ahmad, Elamin Marwa Ibrahim, Muftah Muneera, Mohammad Umalhussein Adam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: De Gruyter 2025-09-01
• Subjects: cognitive linguistics; colloquial arabic proverbs; conceptual metaphors; embodiment; image schema; paremiology
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1515/opli-2025-0066

Proverbs have long been an essential component of both formal and informal discourse, often serving as vessels for cultural wisdom and values. Given that the human body serves as a primary source for conceptualizing abstract ideas, paremiology – the study of proverbs – has demonstrated the widespread use of figurative expressions involving body parts across languages. This study investigates embodiment in colloquial Arabic proverbs through the lens of cognitive linguistics, applying the frameworks of image schema and conceptual metaphor theory as developed by Johnson (1987) and Lakoff (1987). Specifically, it adopts Gibbs (2005, 2008) notion of “image schemas” as “experiential gestalts” to analyze the figurative meanings associated with the hand, head, and heart in Arabic proverbs. Using a descriptive–analytical method, the study identifies five key image schemas – PATH, FORCE, SUPPORT, PART FOR WHOLE, and CONTAINMENT (with the head, hand, and heart functioning as both CONTAINERS and CONTAINED). These body parts serve as source domains for metaphors and metonymies that express complex abstract concepts and transmit cultural models. The findings demonstrate that cognition and everyday experience are deeply embedded in Arabic proverbs, producing dynamic image schemas that reflect the values, emotions, and wisdom of Arabic culture.