Forms and Functions of Similes in the Rigveda: A Corpus-Based Study

By Erica Biagetti

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of Rigvedic similes. Framed within a constructionist approach, the analysis covers the syntax and semantics of these constructions, alongside their interaction with other comparative strategies, formulaic features, and discourse functions. While primarily synchronic, this study also offers diachronic insights into the origins and later developments of similes. By engaging with two central topics in contemporary linguistic theory - comparison and gradation, as well as figurative language - it brings Rigvedic data into current scientific debates. The analysis draws on Cognitive Linguistics, Linguistic Typology, and corpus-based methods to provide a comprehensive account of these pervasive yet understudied constructions.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9004747834
• ISBN13: 9789004747838
• Release Date: January 2027
• Publisher: Brill