Applied linguistics research in the field of Arabic language
Ali Ganjian; ehya komasi
Abstract
Extended abstractThe significance of carrying out an investigation into language, its relation with the culture, and how speakers understands it has attracted the attention of linguists and experts in other fields of humanities. Cultural linguistics is a sub-branch of humanities dealing with the relation ...
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Extended abstractThe significance of carrying out an investigation into language, its relation with the culture, and how speakers understands it has attracted the attention of linguists and experts in other fields of humanities. Cultural linguistics is a sub-branch of humanities dealing with the relation between culture and language. It drives from the cognitive linguistics, and, indeed, represents the achievement of ethnic semantics studies, Ben's school of semantics, and anthropology. Cultural linguistics discuss the cognitive and cultural basis of coded linguistic concepts (Sharifian, 2014). Terms expressing the human body, namely eyes, head, ear, and such like, may refer to cultural bases and contain such notions like knowledge, understanding, and feelings. On the other hand, there is a semantics link between physiological concepts of the human body and sociological notions. The body and its linguistic configuration is among the most pivotal mechanisms. Name of an organ not only represents physico-biological facts but also processes external facts in the form of language; therefore, it is regarded as human's coding factors (Zahedi et al., 2011). Analyzing words of a language allows a linguist to study collective experiences as well as the cultural and cognitive basis of its speakers.In this research, authors used the term "anf" (literally means nose) and its synonyms in Arabic to investigate its cultural and cognitive basis through cultural linguistics. Here are the research purposes:Studying the relation between the term "anf" as well as the culture and cognitive experience of Arab speakersRepresenting an image relevant to the cultural and cognitive basis of the term "anf" for speakers and learners of other languagesStudying the relation between physiologic concepts of the term "anf" in Arabic and its sociological conceptsStudying the semantic changes of the term "anf" in ArabicThis analytical and descriptive study aimed to review cognitive experiences of some Arab speakers as well as the cultural basis of the term "anf" and its synonyms. Having a cultural and cognitive look at Arabic, the research examined semantic changes of this term according to Wang Lee Theory in order to extract its cultural and cognitive basis in Arabic.This research proposes three semantic forms of the term "anf" based on physiological concepts and according to Wang Lee's cuctus theory. The forms all contain big and small chains indicating semantic changes of the term "anf" throughout the Arab history. Therefore, we claim that its semantic changes include chains formed based on a) the physiological concept of breathing through the nose, b) place of the nose on the face and c) the concept of smelling. Figure 1. Chains representing semantic changes of the term "anf" and its synonyms in Arabic in the form of a cactus based on the physiology of breathing through the nose Figure 2. Chains representing semantic changes of the term "anf" and its synonyms in Arabic in the form of a cactus based on the place of the nose on the face Figure 3. Chains representing semantic changes of the term "anf" and its synonyms in Arabic in the form of a cactus based on the physiology of smellingThe general belief in the presence of spirit in the nose from which life is formed seems to be the basis of the collective cognition of the term "anf" and its synonyms in Arabic. For the Arab, the face and the nose are two most valuable parts of the human body. That's why nobelmen are called "the face of people" and "noses of people" in Arabic. Keywords: Cultural linguistics; Anf; Cultural and cognitive basis; Wang theory References Sharifian, Farzad (2014). An introduction to the cultural linguistics. Translated by Leila Ardebili. 1st Tehran: Nevise FarsiZahedi, Keyvan; Zahab Nazouri, Samira (2011). The name of organs on the head in Persian and English proverbs: a cognitive analysis of corpus-cultural basis. The journal of novelties in cognitive sciences. 13 (6), p.1-18.
