Conceptualisation of mental activities through the body part <i>ləbb</i> ‘heart’ in Amharic

Abstract This study applies Conceptual Metaphor Theory to examine how the term ləbb ‘heart’ in Amharic is metaphorically extended to mental activities. By examining the figurative uses of ‘heart’ in fixed expressions from Amharic monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, and utilising the lexical method, this study finds that ləbb ‘heart’ is a central organ in the conceptualisation of mental activities in Amharic. Ləbb ‘heart’ is associated with general intellectual or mental effort rather than being confined to a specific set of mental activities. Typologically, Amharic is predominantly cardiocentric ( Niemeier, 2011 ); in Amharic, mental faculties are primarily associated to the body part corresponding to heart.