The Cold and the Hot Hand: A Study of Metonymy in Yucatec Maya

This paper re-examines the expressions siis k'ab (cold hand) and chokoj k'ab (hot hand) frequently mentioned in ethnographic descriptions of the hot-cold system among the Mayan-speaking population of the Yucatan peninsula. Using a linguistic-cognitive approach that integrates contextual information, the internal structure and semantic content of the expressions under study are explored. The analysis of the data obtained during fieldwork in the eastern part of the state of Yucatan allows us to draw two main conclusions: the first is that siis k'ab and chokoj k'ab constitute metonymies of the hand, and the second is that the metonymic use of this part of the body constitutes the basis of the metaphors k'ulu' k'ab (raccoon hand) and sayab k'ab (spring hand), whose analysis complements the present study. In addition, the connection between the identified metonymies and metaphors and a set of activities that to this day play a fundamental role in the daily life of Maya communities is outlined. Thus, the study contributes to broaden our understanding of metonymic and metaphoric patterns and processes in Yucatec Maya as well as of the local hot-cold system.