On the (meta)pragmatic value of some Spanish idioms based on terms for body parts

This paper is part of a broader research project on the multiple phenomena encompassed by the field of metalinguistics in Spanish. In particular, a corpus of Spanish metapragmatic idioms based on terms for parts of the body is analyzed. The main objective of the study is to describe the pragmatic behavior of this group of expressions, which occurs within three different sub-spheres (discursive organization; regulation of the interaction between speakers; modality). This analytical perspective is combined with a formal and functional approach to the corpus which completes the description of the real discursive value of each unit. Finally, in light of the particular nature of the corpus, the current pragmatic values of the idioms are related to the metaphorical and metonymical foundations that may have played a part in their process of grammaticalization.

► We analyze a corpus of Spanish metapragmatic idioms based on terms for parts of the body. ► These idioms effect pragmatic functions related to discursive organization, regulation of interaction and modality. ► We describe the metaphorical and metonymical foundations of the pragmatic value of the idioms.