The Similes for Human Body Parts

Janina Šukytė

Vilnius University

• A simile is a figure of speech (specifically a

trope) in which one thing is compared with

something else of a different kind using the

words ‘as’ or ‘like’.

• Similes are used to emphasize, distinguish,

highlight or specify any feature or atribute.

• A simile is a synonym of comparative idiom.

• Imagery, emotionality, expressiveness are

typical signs of similes. More often

comparative idioms are having negative

connotations than positive.

The problem:

What is the structure of similes?

• Do comparison object enters into the simile

structure, or simile is just comparison

construction itself.

juodas kaip aulas black as bootleg

Or just

kaip aulas as bootleg

kvailas kaip aulas (stupid as bootleg)

juodas kaip aulas (black as bootleg)

girtas kaip aulas (drunk as bootleg)

• The simile is created comparing two subjects close according to one secondary feature.

• In the thesis it is perceived as a trinary unit:

1) the subject which is compared (theme),

2) the subject to which it is compared (image, rheme),

3) the basis for comparison.

Nosė pamėlynavusi kaip skendinio bamba Pp

‘A nose is blue as drowned man navel’.

(theme) (the basis for comparison) (image,rheme)

• The aim of the research is to discuss the

relation between certain body parts to

standard of similes and realia of human

life, as well as the basis of simile.

Kaip gandro

(Like a stork’s)

Kaklas kaip gandro DūnŽ

(A neck is like a stork’s - ‘very long neck’)

• The study material consists of 622 somatic

similes collected from The Dictionary of Similes

in Lithuanian Language (Klementina Vosylytė,

1985).

• The collected similes are grouped according to

their somatic elements.

• The three main areas of similes are

distinguished:

the similes including names of the upper part of

the body (from head to waist),

the similes including names of the lower part of

the body (from waist to legs),

the similes including names of internal organs.

• Similes which include the names of head

and its parts comprise the majority of

similes – 458 similes, which is 73 % of all

samples.

• With word galva ‘head’ – 45 similes

Stupid, empty, without thoughts

Galva kai puodas, smagenai kai šūdas Vdk

(A head is like a pot, a brain is like a shit)

Tuščia galva kaip daržinė pavasarį LTR

(A head is empty as barn in spring)

Big head

Galva, rankos ir kojos buvo it kaladės A.Vien

(A head, arms and legs was like logs)

Daug nemislyk – liks galva kaip arklio Ds

(Do not think much – head will be like a horse’s)

• In Lithuanian language the majority of similes is with word akis ‘eye’.

• Was collected 54 similes.

Big, round eyes

Jo akys didelės kaip pelėdos Vp

(His eyes as big as owl‘s)

• cf.: Deguns viņam uz mata kā Napoleonam, bet acis kā ūpim apaļas un lielas LLVV 8, 85

(He has nose like Napoleon, but big, round eyes as eagle-owl)

Acis kā pūcei – saka par ļaunu niknu skatienu un par lielām acīm LLVV 6(2), 419

(Eyes like owl‘s – it‘s said about bad, furious stare and big eyes)

Dark, brown eyes

Nepažįstamojo akys buvo rudos lyg riešutai J. Dov

(Stranger‘s eyes was brown as nuts)

Jo juodos kaip anglys akys degė narsumu ir su

pasididžiavimu veizėjo aplinkui J.Bil

(His black as coal eyes burning with courage and

with pride looked around)

Blue eyes

Akys kaip ežerai Varn (Eyes like lakes)

Akelės mėlynos kap rugiagėlės TŽI105

(Blue eyes as cornflowers)

Akys kai žibuoklės Alvt (Eyes like violets)

Mėlynos akys kaip vaivorai linksmai blizgėjo Žem

(Blue eyes glisted cheerfully like bilberry)

• With word nosis ‘nose’ – 57 similes

Hooked nose

Nosė kaip erelio Skd (A nose is like eagle‘s)

Kaip vanago snapas nosė užkumpusi Užv

(A nose hooked like an hawk's beak)

Nosys kaip vištų snapai DūnŽ (Noses are

like beaks of hens)

Big nose

Nosė kaip agurklas DūnŽ (A nose like a cucumber)

Nosis kaip dūlis (kriaušė) Rz (A nose like a pear)

Tavo nosė kaip bulbė DūnŽ (Your nose like potato)

• With word burna ‘mouth’ – 18 similes

Big mouth

Burna kaip dvaro daržinė Km (A mouth is like an

estete‘s barn)

Burna kaip vartai Rs (A mouth is like a gate)

Big, blubber, hanged down lips

Lūpos storos kaip vėjo Grk (Lips are blubber like

the wind‘s)

Lūpa atvėpusi kaip kumelės Up (A lip is hanged

down like a mare‘s)

Lūpos išvėpę kaip spenys uzbono (ąsočio

snapelis) Vžns (Lips are hanged down like a

jug‘s nose)

• With word liežuvis ‘tongue’ – 49

To offend, to speak with bite

Na, tavo liežuvis lyg adata! J.Dov (Your

tongue is like needle)

Jo liežuvis dyglus – kaip dygliu žmogų

dyglina Grdž (His tongue is sharp –

stabbing as with a thorn)

Anos liežuvis kaip gyvatės J (Her tongue is

like a snake‘s)

To speak treacherously, slyly

Liežuvis kaip čigonės Kp

(Her tongue is like zingara‘s)

Dailaus liežuvėlio – kaip lapelė Pc

(Her tongue is like fox‘s)

Turinti liežuvį kaip medų, o pati kaip angis

I.Simon.

(Her tongue is like honey, but she herself is

like a viper)

• With word rankos ‘hands’ – 38 similes

Dirty hands

Rankos juodos kai dešra Gs (Hands are black as

sausage)

Rankų juodybė – kai šunio kojos Trgn (Hands are

black as dog‘s feet)

Juodos rankos kaip tik žemė Pn (Hands are black

as ground)

White, clean, beautiful hands

Baltos rankelės kaip pusnužėlės JV916 (Hands

are white as snowdrifts)

Rankelės baltos kaip popierėliai V.Krėv. (Hands

are white as paper)

• With word užpakalis ‘butt’ – 5 similes

Wide, big butt

Subinė kaip rejos (jaujos) galas Pp (An ass

is like end of the barn)

Bobos rūsys (užpakalis) platus kaip peludė

Nm (Woman‘s butt is wide as a barn)

Šikinė kai girnos Švnč (An ass is like

millstones)

• With word kojos ‘legs‘ – 50 similes

Thin, long legs

Kojų ilgybė – kai starkaus! Trgn (Legs are long as a stork‘s)

Kojos kaip kikilio Vžns (Legs are like a chaffinch‘s)

Ilgos kojos kaip stirnos Pn (Legs are long like a deer‘s)

Muno kojos ilgos kaip uodo Šv (My legs are long as mosquito‘s)

Crooked legs

Jo kojos kai pavalkai Ar (His legs are like horse-collar)

Mūsų mergaitė teip išklišus, kad kojos kaip lankai Svn (Our daughter is bow-legged – her legs are like bows)

• With word širdis ‘heart’ – 11

Širdis plakas kaip telio uodega Ds (Heart

moving like calf‘s tail)

Širdys jų kaip ledas šaltos Mair. (Their

hearts are cold as ice)

Širdis kaip vaškas (minkšta, švelni, jautri)

A.Gud-Guz.

(The heart is like wax) ‘soft, sensitive’

Conclusions

• The motivation of many similes is quite clear:

there is a direct relationship between the object

and its comparative standard.

• human body parts are most often compared to

the usual, daily, household items. There are

also plenty of biomorphic and zoomorphic

similes.

• The body parts are usually used in similes

because of their unusual, aesthetically

unsightly appearance, and it has been found

that there are more similes having negative

connotations than positive.

• The names of body parts included in the

somatic similes are often associated with

important functions of those body parts

(sight, hearing, speaking, etc).

• The similes of certain parts of the body

often serve as metaphors for the man

himself.

• In the paper it is considered that the object

of simile should be included in the overall

structure of the phraseological simile.

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