Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Ph.D. in Arabic Language and Literature, Bu Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran
2 Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
This research examines the cognitive study of Persian and Arabic languages in the domain of taste and its related product, namely flavors, with the aim of gaining insight into a portion of the understanding and perception that Persian and Arabic speakers derive through the gustatory domain. In this context, the study conducts a cognitive analysis of phrases that reflect the influence of the physiological function of taste on spoken language. The research method is descriptive-analytical and operates within the framework of cognitive semantics.
The study of the data reveals that:
These languages primarily utilize the gustatory domain to conceptualize the ideas of "testing and evaluation" and their resulting outcomes, such as feelings of satisfaction and pleasure or dissatisfaction and pain.
The cognitive reality of the gustatory domain differs from the external and conventional reality of the sense of taste. In external reality, tasting is a sensory and temporary experience, where the tongue is the sole receptor, and it is relevant only to edibles. However, the cognitive mechanism extends this physical-gustatory experience to understand and conceptualize the environment and abstract concepts, "tasting" various experiences and phenomena! From tasting people's words, as in «شیرینسخن» ("sweet-tongued"), to describing someone as «گوشتتلخ» ("bitter-fleshed"). In this cognitive mechanism, the tongue is not the only receptor of taste; hearing can also create a taste, as in «با این خبر کاممون تلخ شد» ("this news left a bitter taste in our mouth"), and the heart "tastes" the sweetness of union, as in «به کام دل رسید» ("it reached the heart's desire"). Moreover, tasting is not limited to edibles; the eyes can be "شور" ("salty"), temperament can be "تند" ("hot"), and a facial expression can be "ترش" ("sour").
One significant aspect of understanding the non-edible world through the lens of edibles is that these metaphorical correspondences allow us to think about our experiences and phenomena around us using the knowledge we have about flavors. For example, since "بانمکی" (saltiness) is desirable, interacting with a person perceived as "بانمک" (salty) is also understood as pleasant and desirable. In this way, the "saltiness" of the person in question can overshadow other undesirable traits they may have, just as the "saltiness" of a type of food can make its harmful aspects seem appealing. The conclusion is that flavor serves as a phenomenological and evaluative lens through which we interpret the nature of our experiences as a target domain.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)