Many expressions represent emotions as physical or physiological states of a body part – i.e. ‘somatic’ states – that can indeed apply to this body part. To take an example with the belly, in Kaytetye (Central Australia), where the word for belly is aleme, the expression aleme ltywere can mean ‘hungry’, which denotes a state of the belly; and the expression also means ‘worried’.

Overall, body parts pertaining to the head, face and throat exhibit more somatic metonymies than abdominal parts. Obviously, the states invoked vary depending on the body part. As illustrated above, belly expressions tend to depict digestive states. Heart expressions feature heartbeat, as in Yolngu Matha (Arnhem Land) d̪ukt̪ukthirr(i)/-tji, meaning ‘want, desire, love’, where kt̪ukun means ‘beat, throb, palpitate (of heart)’. The head and forehead are often described as hard, which for these body parts is a plausible physical property. For instance, the Gupapuyŋu variety of Yolngu Matha features buku-ḏäl ‘forehead-strong/hard’, which means ‘persistent, dauntless’. With nose expressions, size and/or shape can be highlighted, as in Kukatja (Western Desert) mulya pilyparriwa ‘long nose’, meaning ‘angry’. The eyes and throat are typically dry or burning: in Yidiny (Cape York), jili + guba-(n) ‘eye-burn’ means ‘feels jealous, watch jealously’. As for the ears, they can be blocked.

These are by no means the only physical states invoked, just the most frequent for each body part. Among the more marginal representations, we encountered irregular breathing in a chest expression (desire), a contracted throat (anger), a dirty nose (also anger), to name just a few. Some states recurred across several body parts, like being itchy, or hot, a somatic metonymy that occurs with most body parts, usually in association with anger.

Some somatic metonymies represent an emotion via a physical state that is actually a common effect of this emotion: for instance, heartbeat and desire, as in the Yolngu Matha expression above. Another example is where digestive discomfort maps onto negative feelings, as in Kukatja (Western Desert) tjurni liiyi - kurlu ‘belly lump with’, meaning ‘be cross, annoyed, disturbed’. Such expressions could point to physiological responses that may have inspired the association of a given body part with a given emotion. This pattern is infrequent, but it is attested for the main abdominal body parts – namely the belly and heart –, as well as for the chest and throat.  

References

Bowern, Claire and David Zorc. Yolngu Matha dictionary. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, AILEC 0778, n. d.

Dixon, Robert. Words of our country: Stories, place names and vocabulary in Yidiny, the language of the Cairns/Yarrabah region. St Lucia, Brisbane: University of Queensland Press, 1991.

Lowe, Beulah. Gupapuyŋu-English dictionary. Darwin: Aboriginal Resource & Development Services Inc., 1994. Retrieved from https://ards.com.au/resources/downloadable/gupapuy%C5%8Bu-dictionary/.

Peile, Anthony R. Body and soul: An Aboriginal view. Victoria Park, WA: Hesperian Press, 1997.

Ross, Alison and Myfany Turpin. Kaytetye to English Dictionary. Alice Springs, N. T.: IAD Press, 2012.

Waters, Bruce E. An interim Djinang dictionary. Darwin: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1983.