Matters of the heart

Conference item

The 'heart', together with 'hand' and 'head', is one of the three significant body parts in the letter H in both Old English and Modern English. This paper will explore how figurative and transferred senses may have arisen in English from the literal senses of 'heart', and also will suggest some of the phrasal richnesses which 'heart' develops, beginning with the earliest period of the language. This bodily organ is not only the vital principle, but is also the seat of feeling/will/intellect in the broadest sense. The word also deepens down both intellectually and emotionally to refer to the seat of one's innermost thoughts and of one's emotions (especially of love and affection, of courage or fear). This paper will attempt to trace the path of interiority and centredness which this word takes in its sense development in Old English with a view to its later history in English.

Authors: Healey, T

• Alternative title: Presented at Historical Vocabulary session
• Publication status: Not published
• Peer review status: Reviewed (other)
• Language: English
• Keywords: heart
• Subjects: English Language and Literature; English & Old English language