Conceptualization of Dast as Persian Equivalent for ‘Hand’ in Iranian Expressions and Proverbs

As many studies (e.g. Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; Lakoff, 1998) have revealed metaphorical language is an essentialpart of human life, including language, thought and action. Using body-part terms provides a conceptual basisfor shaping a relatively large number of conceptualizations in Persian. Drawing on the tenets of ConceptualMetaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1983, 2003). This study aims to investigate 15000 Persian proverbs and25000 Persian expressions in light of the body part Hand and the way it is realized metaphorically. The resultsshow that hand is conceptualized as being either equivalent to or the container of sentiments, sympathy, desires,tolerance, audacity, also thoughts and memories. A set of Persian expressions also reflects conceptualizations ofhand as the symbol of personality traits, character, and mood. Generally, it appears that the body part handprovides a conceptual foundation for speakers of Persian to represent their cognitive, emotional, socio-cultural,and linguistic experiences.

Keywords:

conceptual metaphor theory , expressions and proverbs , body part terms cognitive , sociocultural , linguistic expressions