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 horsecollar)
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.
Ačiū už dėmesį!
Paldies par uzmanību!
Tänan teid tähelepanu eest!