PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF BODY-RELATED IDIOMS IN THE PORTRAYAL OF INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT IN GERMAN LITERATURE

Abstract

This article investigates the pragmatic functions of body-related idioms in the portrayal of interpersonal conflict in German literature. Drawing on principles from pragmatics, politeness theory, and cognitive linguistics, it examines how somatic idioms—such as jemandem die Stirn bieten, kaltes Herz, and sich in die Haare kriegen—serve not merely as figurative expressions but as dynamic tools for negotiating emotional stance, intensifying or mitigating face-threatening acts, and constructing power relations within fictional dialogue. Through a qualitative analysis of conflict scenes in selected German novels from the late nineteenth century to the present, the study reveals that these idioms function on both micro- and macro-narrative levels: they influence the immediate interaction between characters while simultaneously contributing to thematic development and reader engagement. Findings highlight the dual potential of such idioms to escalate or defuse tension, depending on contextual cues, tone, and character relationships. This underscores the need for a pragmatic-literary approach that accounts for the interplay between linguistic form, embodied metaphor, and narrative strategy.