METAPHORICAL CONCEPT “BODY” IN THE SACRED PENTATEUCH TEXTS OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to determine the content and structure of a basic metaphorical concept BODY identified in the Pentateuch texts of the English Bible. The nature and mechanism of the metaphorical concept is considered in the light of recent linguo-metaphorological investigations with the emphasis on distinction between the notions of “metaphorical concept” and “conceptual metaphor”. The method used in the research includes procedures of the analysis of metaphorical concepts elaborated by Yu.V. Kravtsova within the semantic- cognitive approach to study of metaphors and modelling of metaphorization. As a result, first, the composition of the content of the metaphorical concept at the semantic and cognitive levels of its stratification was established; second, the identified cognitive features were structurized according to their significance within a given ethno-culture; the third, the hierarchy of senses relevant for the concept bearers was revealed. Overall, the conducted analysis has offered a fresh insight into the author-specific conception of reality as a human body, in its various forms and manifestations.