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Rooted in the Body
Arabic Metaphor and Morphology
Lisa J. White
Illustrated by Mahmoud Shaltout
We are all married to our bodies, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. As a result, the body is a hard-wired, pow
125 b&w illus.
Rooted in the Body quantity
We are all married to our bodies, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. As a result, the body is a hard-wired, powerful presence in thought and speech. Rooted in the Body: Arabic Metaphor and Morphology considers this basic premise of linguistic embodiment and shows how it is especially true of Arabic. Consciously and unconsciously, speakers of Arabic use reams of vocabulary derived from the body, making it an ideal springboard for a deeper and more nuanced understanding of Arabic morphology. Structurally speaking, Arabic is a language built on abstract roots, short sequences of single consonants that are systematically modified to produce actual vocabulary. Learning to recognize and manipulate those roots is an invaluable skill, especially for non-native adult learners, because it lightens their memorization load significantly.
Rooted in the Body uses delightful side-by-side essays and comic illustrations to invite readers to explore Arabic's signature morphology as they reflect on some 120 metaphorically charged body parts. On the long road to proficiency, lexical precision is important, but so, too, is cultural fluency. As it demystifies the links between morphology and semantics, Rooted in the Body also uses citations from Arabic's rich cultural history to highlight the body's vital role in language. This book will be a fascinating and invaluable resource, not only for advanced learners of Arabic but for linguists, rhetoricians, and philosophers of language.
Read more about the book.
To read an excerpt, click here.
Lisa J. White was a senior instructor of Arabic (2009–2019) and former executive director (1993–97) of CASA (the Center for Arabic Study Abroad) at the Arabic Language Institute of the American University in Cairo, where she taught for over thirty years. A morphology and translation enthusiast, she received the 1999 University of Arkansas Translation Prize for her translation of Mohammed Afifi's Little Songs in the Shade of Tamaara (2000).
Mahmoud Shaltout
Mahmoud Shaltout is a comic artist, having contributed to numerous local and international publications and exhibitions under his pen name Mac Toot. He is currently assistant professor at the American University in Cairo and holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of Salford, UK.
Rooted in the Body Reviews
"Lisa White offers us a work that is both serious and playful. The underlying research premise that morphology enhances the 'embodiment' of Arabic vocabulary is presented in a brilliant linguistic introduction and fleshed out in a succession of 125 chapters, each exploring one body part. Aesthetic value is enhanced by Mahmoud Shaltout's graphic interpretations that marry each text to its illustration."―Sylvie Denoix, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
"Arabic is all roots and branches and sometimes it can be hard to see the wood for the trees. This innovative book provides a marvelous platform from which to look out over the spreading canopy of meaning." ―Humphrey Davies
"This book represents a most welcome innovative, fun-filled, and discovery-laden addition to the library of Arabic teaching and learning materials. Who would have guessed that the body could provide learners at all proficiency levels with such a rich framework for expanding vocabulary and idiomatic expressions and enhancing their knowledge and appreciation of roots and patterns in Arabic. Teachers will find in this book a valuable resource that can easily fit within any existing Arabic curriculum."―Mahmoud Al-Batal, The American University of Beirut
"Drawing on her vast command of Arabic language and linguistics, as well as her intimate familiarity with Arab society and culture, Lisa White has crafted an exquisite encyclopedic dictionary that displays all the richness, complexity, and inventiveness of the Arabic language. Rooted in the Body is a book of impressive erudition that mirrors the creative and dynamic tradition of classical Arabic philology, evoking the ingenuity and brilliance of an Ibn Duraid and al-Jahiz. It is a unique and marvelous addition to the library of Arabic language studies that will delight students, teachers, and lovers of language."―William Granara, Harvard University
"Rooted in the Body: Arabic Metaphor and Morphology features a collection of essays by White that investigate how a litany of words can be sourced back to 125 body parts. Each essay is complemented by a rich black and white comic illustrated by Mahmoud Shaltout" ―Razmig Bedirian, The National .
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