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Section 1. Linguistics
Murad Al Kayed, PHD in Linguistics, Ajloun University College Department of English language and Literature Al-Balqa Applied University E-mail: murad.alkayed@bau.edu.jo
COLLOCATIONS OF THE BODY PART "HAND" IN ENGLISH AND ARABIC
Abstract. The aim of this study is to investigate the meaning of the collocation of the body part "hand" in English and Arabic and to explore the similarities and differences between the two languages in terms of "hand" collocations. The study also attempts to find out whether English collocations have identical equivalents or partial equivalents in Arabic. The study finds out that 55% of Arabic and English "hand" collocations have partial equivalents.
Keywords: collocation; equivalents; hand; lexicography.
Introduction guages. The study found out that these languages
Collocation is a term used by J. R. Firth to refer differ in meaning and categorizing of body parts. to words which came with each other. Cruze, for Nan (2012) explored the differences and similari-
example, defines collocation as "sequences of lexical items which habitually co-occur, but which are nonetheless fully transparent in the sense that each lexical constituent is also a semantic constituent" (1986: 40). Cambridge Dictionary also defines collocation as "a word or phrase that is often used with another word or phrase", in which the meaning of collocation cannot be predicted from the meaning of individual parts. For example, the word "hard" comes with "frost" as in "a hard frost", but the word "strong" does not collocate with "frost".
Many studies are interested in exploring the meaning of body parts. For example, Enfield et., al. (2006) investigate the meaning of body part terms cross-culturally. Their study reveals the literal and non-literal meaning of body parts along with differences in morphology and syntax between ten lan-
ties between Human body vocabulary (HBV) used in Korean, Chinese and English. The study found out that even though that these languages have many differences in the use of HBV, but they show similar ways of semantic asymmetry and semantic change. In another study, Nemcova (2013) studied English and French idioms that contain three body organs - head, hand and foot. The study compared between English and French body idioms at lexical, formal and semantic level. Concerning hand idioms, the study found out that out of the number of 59 hand idioms there are 51 more or less equivalent pairs (86.5%).
With respect to collocations, Parlog (2005) studies the meaning of "heart" in terms of idioms and collocations in Romanian and English. He analyzed the collocations of heart at the lexical and grammatical level. Similarly, Al Smadi (2015) investigates the
collocations of the body part "Heart" in English and Arabic. The study found out that most of collocations in English does not differ in meaning (literal or idiomatic) from their Arabic counterparts.
It is clear from the above literature that collocations of body parts gained little attention from scholars. In addition, to the best knowledge ofthe author there is no single study that investigates the collocation of "hand" in English and Arabic. Thus, this study is very important since it investigates the similarities as well as the differences between English and Arabic collocations of the word "hand". It also explores if English "hand" collocations have partial or identical equivalents in Arabic.
Methods
Data collection
The data for the current study were collected from five dictionaries: Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English (2002), Online Oxford Collocation Dictionary, Al-Hafiz Arabic Collocations Dictionary (2004), Online Cambridge Dictionary, and Online Almaany Dictionary.
Data Analysis
The current study classifies "hand" collocations into four grammatical categories: "hand +verb", "hand + noun", "adjective + hand" and "hand + phrase". Then each category is divided into identical and partial equivalents. Identical equivalents are the English "hand" collocations which have identical Arabic equivalents (the collocations in both languages are the same in terms of semantic, lexical and formal level). The partial equivalents are the English or Arabic "hand" collocations that have partial equivalents (the collocations have the same meaning but different structures).
Results and Discussion
This section presents "hand" collocations in English and Arabic based on four grammatical categories: "hand +verb", "hand + noun", "adjective + hand" and "hand + phrase".
1. Hand + Noun:
1.1. Absolute (identical) equivalents:
This section explores the English "hand" collocation of the grammatical category "hand + noun" with
their identical Arabic equivalents; for example, hand bag /Hagibat yad/, hand brake Vj^
makbaH yadawi:/, hand luggage "■! /Hagibat yad/, handmade "■^W ^j'"™" /maSnu:9 bilyad/, limb hand", ■j" /yad Taraf/.
1.2. Partial Equivalents of English and Arabic collocations
This section presents the English and Arabic "hand" collocation of the grammatical category "hand + noun" which have partial equivalents. In English, there are handbook /kutayib/, hand cuffs /guyu:d/, hour/minute hand mJ-^"
/9ga:rib alsa9ah/. In Arabic, there are Mj^l ■j/yad altho: b/ [sleeve], j^l ■¿/yad aldahar/ [adverb: never], ^ ■¿/yad allah/ [power of God], ■Jl ^V khifat alyad/ [magic], ^l ¿^j /waDa9 alyad/ [condemnation], ■j j^ /thu: yad/ [powerful man].
2. Verb+ hand
2.1. Identical Equivalents
This part presents English collocations of the grammatical category "verb+ hand" which have identical Arabic equivalents. For example, hold/ take hand /yamsik biyad/, put hands up
"'¿■j £®jl" /?irfa9 yadeak/, press his hand ^»'j «■¿"/yaDghaT 9la yaduh/, lay/put a hand "aJj ¿'j" yaDa9 9la: yaduh/, lift hand "«■! ¿^j" /rafa9 yaduh/, withdraw hand /saHab yaduh/, spread
his hand "^¿■j mad yaduh/, clench his hands
"^¿■j ■^j" /yashad yaduh/, wipe his hand "^¿■j /yimsah yaduh/, beat his hand "s^ MjT / yaDrab biyaduh bishdah/, give him a hand "aJj " /ya9Teah yaduh/ [give someone help], and cut his hand "aJj f^" /jatham yaduh/.
2.2. Partial Equivalents of English and Arabic Collocations
This part investigates partial equivalents of English and Arabic hand collocation of the grammatical category "verb+ hand". For instance, have a hand in som ething V /lahu Til9 fi:/ [t o be involved
with something], give a hand to /yu9afig/
[clap his hands], take sb/sth in hand "4-Jjj"* iili" /ya2khuth mas?uliah/ [to start to be in charge of
someone or something], live from hand to mouth " /ya9i: sh bikafaf/ [to have just enough
money to live on and nothing extra], keep a firm hand on something /yatamasik/ [to control
something or someone carefully], have your hand full "Jj*-^" /mashghu: l/ [to be busy that you do not have time to do anything else], win (sth) hands down jjj" /yafouz bishulah/ [to win very
easly], shake hand /yuSa: fiH/, clap hands
/yuSafig/, cup his hand j? f-^j" /ya-Dum bean yadeah/.
Arabic hand collocations also have partial English equivalents. For example ^-^l/?a9Ta beya-dih/ [to surrender], ^ -^"/sagaT fi: yadih/ [to regret], f^j J"^/ghasal yaduh/ [to deny/ disown], Ajjj ^i/?akhath 9la yaduh/ "prevent him", a^jIjj ^JjVI/tdawlathuh al?aydi;/ [Spread from one person to another], j? ^Vmasha: bean yadeah/ [he walks in front of him], ^^ £j^/kharaj min taHat yadeah/ [he raised and taught him], M^j
/yuglip yadeah/ [to regret].
3. Adjective + Hand
3.1. Identical equivalents:
This part discusses the English collocations of "hand" of the grammatical category "adjective + hand" and their identical Arabic counterparts. For example, generous hand <*jj£]l /alyad alkarimah/, helping hand a^l"i*]| Jj /yad almusa9aduh/, steady hand "42?^]' /alyad althabtah/, "clumsy hand" "elijiH aJI" /alyad alkharga/, open hand policy: /syasat alyad almaftu: Hah/, dirty hand /mutasiHah/, busy hand "4-lj*-^ Jj" /
yad mashghulah/, expert hand "»j^ Jj" /yad kha-berah/, strong hand Jj" /yad gawiyah/, trembling hand Jj" /yad murtajafah/, friendly hand Jj" /yad Hanunah/, and skillful hand jj" /yad mutmarisah/
3.2. Partial Equivalents of English and Arabic collocations
This section explores the English and Arabic "hand" collocations of the grammatical category "ad-jective+ hand" which have partial equivalents. In Ar-
abic, there are many "adjective+ hand" collocations which have partial English equivalents; for example, el^Jl /alyad albayDa:?/ [favor], " Jj/yad 9amilah/: [labor force/farm hand], " "»^'j Jj/yad waHidah/:[together/ united], Jj yad tawilah
[generous], jd^' ^^/Tilg alyadean/: [generous],
j^/gaSear alyad/ [helpless], ^¿Vkhafeaf alyad/: [thief], e'j^^ Jj /yad khaTra:?/: [reward], jjJ?]| /khali: alyad/: [failed or disappointed]. In contrast, there are a few "adjective+ hand" English collocations which have partial Arabic equivalents, such as willing hand: J**-? /ash-
kha:9 raghbah bi9amal shay?
4. Hand + phrase
4.1. Identical Equivalents
This section highlighted the identical equivalents of the grammatical category "hand+ phrase in English and Arabic; for example, fall into the wrong hand ^ ¿ij" /waga9 fi alyad alkha-
da?, get/take your hand of something or someone jl u^i" ¿P ^Jj J*?'" /ib9id yadak 9an shakhaS?aw shay2/, in safe hands jJjl ^s" /fi: aydin?aminah/, hand in hand Jj" /yad biyad/, hands on hip "<^jj]l jjJj" /yadayen 9la alwirk/, palm of the hand "9/ ^-'j J^la raHat alyah/, by hand " /bilyad/, hand in something "m Jj /ladeah yad bi/, on hands and knees "4jJjj J^" /9la gadamead wa yadeah/
4.2. Partial equivalents of English and Arabic Collocations
This part explores the partial equivalents of Arabic and English collocations of hand. English has partial equivalents in Arabic, such as get/lay my hand on something ^^ /?uHSl 3la shay?/, at
first hand " j"WJjVI jJ^*]' j>", by hand " jl^j^J^", offyour hands "Aj]jJ"*]| jlLj on hand
on your hand "'jLe A^]jj"*]|", out of hand "J^j s jLj«ill", with bare hand "c^ jjc- Good with his hands ^'l 4ji*j", hand to hand awjjS",
hand on fist "1*jj^", and hand on glove "4jjj jjc- J*^" Similarly, Arabic has partial equivalents of the hand collocations in English, for example; Jj ¿»"as a result
of defeat and surrender", ^¿■j "under his control", f^ji» f*^: "united against others".
The findings of the study revealed that 45% of English collocations of "hand" have identical Arabic equivalents, for example; handmade "■^W /
masnu:9 bilyad/, hold/take hand ''"^j" /yumsik biyad/ and hand in something "m ■j /ladeah yad bi/. The study also found out that these identical equivalents of the "hand" collocations are used to refer to certain meanings such as "part of a body" as in "by hand" " ■A?" /bilyad/ "help" as in "give him a hand" "«■»l" / «■j 4^k*j"/ya9Teah yaduh/, and a reference to people as in skillful hand (skillful person) "^jxi* ■j" /yad mutamarisah/.
In addition, the study found out that 55% of Arabic and English "hand" collocations have partial equivalents. For example, ^l j^>VgaSi: r alyad/ "helpless", ^l tji^ /khafi: f alyad/ "thief", hand on fist "1*jj">" /sari9an/, hand on glove " jp Jw»" /9amal ghayr nazi: h/, live from hand to mouth /ya9eash bikfa: f/, «■j J"» /ghasal yaduh/"deny/ disown", ^¿■j ^/?akhatha 9la: yadeah/ "prevent him", ^■jVl ^jl^/tdawaltuh al?aydi/ "spread from one person to another".
Moreover, the current study shows that 67% of English collocations and 80% ofArabic collocations of "hand" have figurative, idiomatic and extended meaning e.g. "el'? /yaduh bayDa:?/ favors, "^¿■j /yaglib yadeah/ "to regret something", "^■jVl ^jl^'ytdawalathuh alaydi/ spread from one person to another", "give a hand to" /yu9fig/,
and "live from hand to mouth" "<—^o«j"/ya9i: bikafaf/.
These findings are of much interest to lexicographers as well as translators. Translators may ben-
efit from these pieces of information to translate accurately from English to Arabic or vice versa. Moreover, lexicographers may benefit from these results to create well-developed bilingual dictionaries of collocations. It is worth noting that there is a shortage in bilingual collocation dictionaries and even the existing ones such as Al-Hafiz Arabic Collocations Dictionary (2004) suffer from serious problems such as lack of sufficient data. Thus, this research is of great importance to the field of lexicography.
Conclusion
The present study investigated the meaning of the collocations of the body part "hand" in English and Arabic and explored the similarities as well as the differences between the two languages in terms of "hand" collocations. The results of the study show that 45% of English collocations of "hand" have identical Arabic Equivalents, for example; handmade "■A? ^j'"^" /maSnu:9 bilyad/ and hold/take hand '"^j" /yumsik biyad/. The study also finds that that 55% ofArabic and English "hand" collocations have partial equivalents. For example, A^l j^>VgaSi: r alyad/"helpless", tji^ ■¿Vkhafi: f alyad/ "thief", and, hand on fist "1*jj"" /sari9an/. Furthermore, the current study found out that 67% of English collocations and 80% of Arabic collocations of "hand" have figurative, idiomatic and extended meaning. These findings are of much interest to lexicographers as well as translators. Translators may benefit from these results to translate accurately from English to Arabic or vice versa. Moreover, lexicographers may benefit from these results to create well-developed bilingual dictionaries of collocations.
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