Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.31724/rihjj.51.1.5

Out of the Abundance of the Heart the Mouth Speaks – the Interconnection Between Speech and Personality Traits in Somatic Phraseology

Ana Sarić orcid.org/0000-0002-6179-7426 ; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu

Abstract

The paper analyzes idioms containing the somatic component jezik/tongue/Zunge, which represent human characteristics as reflections of human speech and interpersonal communication. It identifies similarities and differences at the semantic and motivational levels within Croatian, English, and German corpora. The study establishes that the primary motivation and common basis for these idioms stem from the function of language as an organ and the metonymy of speech. Additionally, it explores various motivational mechanisms that are unique to each language community. Through semantic analysis, the research demonstrates that idioms featuring the component jezik/tongue/Zunge in all three languages predominantly lexicalize negative aspects of human personality, highlighting the negative dimension of the relationship between speech and human traits in the realm of figurative language use.

Keywords

idioms with the component jezik/tongue/Zunge; speech; interpersonal communication; human characteristics

Hrčak ID:

335844

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/335844

Publication date:

30.12.2025.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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