RATIONALE OF THE STUDY
In recent years, cognitive linguistics has flourished in Vietnam with increasing studies One of the most important concepts of cognitive linguistics which emphasizes meaning construction (conceptualization) is metaphor Metaphor is known as one of the most useful methods in meaning transfer that is used widely not only in daily life but also in literature It helps people understand an abstract concept by referring to a concrete one For example, we often metaphorically conceptualize such abstract concepts as love, argument in “Love is journey” or
“Argument is war”, which are clearly analyzed by famous cognitive linguists like Lackoff and Johnson (1980) It appears so often and is utilized so widely that sometimes we use it subconsciously without realizing it
Nobody can deny idioms‟ importance in communication, learning, teaching and translation as well but it is a difficult area of English According to Cooper
(1999), idioms present a special language problem to all language learners because their figurative meanings are unpredictable Also, their meanings are not the total sum of their parts and metaphor is considered one of the key factors to understand the meaning of idioms When talking about idioms, we not only talk about the vocabulary and semantics of a language but also the cultures hidden behind Therefore, this study also makes some initial investigation to see how cultures affect idioms in Vietnamese and English in the way they convey the concept of power.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study aims to investigate idioms that carry conceptual metaphor about power based on the theory of Lakoff and Johnson To go further, this study is done to explore the similarities and the differences between the use of metaphor about power in English and Vietnamese idioms that reflect the culture of each language community Finally, this paper aims to provide some suggestions for teaching, learning and translating of conceptual metaphor about power which is expressed in English and Vietnamese idioms In other words, the study seeks answers to two research questions:
Research question 1: How is the concept of power metaphorically expressed in English and Vietnamese idioms?
Research question 2: What are the similarities and differences in expressions of conceptual metaphors about power in English and Vietnam idioms?
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
In this study, the analysis is based on the theory and classification of conceptual metaphors given by Lakoff and Johnson Due to the limited time and ability, this research only investigated and contrasted conceptual metaphors about power in society and politics in English and Vietnamese idioms Six dictionaries in both languages, three in English and three in Vietnamese were chosen
The selected idioms in English are cited from several dictionaries including:
- Oxford Idioms Dictionary for Learners of English by Oxford University Press
- Dictionary of American Idioms by Spears, R.A (2005)
- Longman American Idioms Dictionary by Urban, R (2000)
Idioms in Vietnamese are from:
- Thành ngữ tiếng Việt by Nguyễn Lực, Lương Văn Đang (1993)
- Từ điển giải thích thành ngữ tiếng Việt by Nguyễn Như Ý (1998)
- Từ điển thành ngữ và tục ngữ Việt Nam by Nguyễn Lân (2014)
METHODS AND PROCEDURES OF THE STUDY
This study is based on conceptual metaphors framework introduced by Lackoff and Johnson (1980) in their invaluable book “Metaphor We Live By” According to this model, conceptual metaphors are classified into three different kinds, namely structural metaphors, ontological metaphors and orientational metaphors
Firstly, contrastive and comparative analyses were carried out in order to identify the similarities and differences in expression of conceptual metaphor about power in English and Vietnamese idioms
Secondly, qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the data
Quantitatively, the data were analyzed in terms of the frequencies of structural, ontological and orientational metaphors Qualitatively, the data were classified or examined based on such criteria as: Power is the human body; Power is a container; Power is up, and no power is down.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
T HEORETICAL SIGNIFICANCE
This study hopes to provide useful contributions to studies of cognitive linguistics, especially the role of conceptual metaphor in expressing the concept of power in idioms.
P RACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE
This research is expected to help learners of English in Vietnam understand the differences between English and Vietnamese cultures through idioms Moreover, it can contribute to improvement of reading comprehension, translation and the analysis of literary works.
ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
methodology of the study The scope, the significance of the study and the organization of the thesis are also described
Part B: Development This part consists of three chapters:
Chapter 1: Literature Review and Theoretical Background This chapter provides fundamental knowledge of cognitive linguistics in general and conceptual metaphors in particular Some related concepts are also discussed, such as power and idioms This chapter ends with related studies
Chapter 2: Research Methodology and Procedures This chapter presents the methods and the procedures of the research including how the data were collected, described and analyzed
Chapter 3: Findings and Discussions This chapter presents the result of my analysis of conceptual metaphor about power in English and Vietnamese idioms, their differences and similarities in the two languages
Part C: Conclusion This part summarizes the results of the studies and implications for learning, teaching and translating idioms Some suggestions for further research and limitations are presented in this part as well.
LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
L ITERATURE REVIEW
Beginning from the last half of the twentieth century, Cognitive Linguistics has actually become an interesting research trend in order to investigate the relationship among language, mind and socio-physical experience of human beings So many viewpoints about conceptual metaphor are presented clearly in the famous book by Lackoff and Johnson in 1980 Thanks to the guide of Lackoff and Johnson‟s theory about conceptual metaphor, even the most abstract and tangible concept is also metaphorically understood by more concrete one through mapping domains It actually encourages me to investigate the conceptual metaphor about power, one abstract and tangible concept
In Vietnam, so many linguists have contributed to the development of cognitive linguistics through their famous studies, namely Lý Toàn Thắng (2005), Trần Văn Cơ (2007), Nguyễn Đức Tồn (2007) If Lý Toàn Thắng (2005) systematically presents the background of cognitive linguistics and its significance, Trần Văn Cơ (2007), on the other hand, focuses more on cognition and related field of cognitive linguistics, especially conceptual metaphor and its development in Vietnam and all over the world He also emphasizes that conceptual metaphors are used to understand one concept in terms of another
Those famous linguists have made great contribution to the foundation and development of cognitive field in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular
Besides famous linguists, who set the foundation of cognitive field in Vietnam as well as all over the world, other researchers also pay their attention to the cognitive field in general and metaphor in particular When studying conceptual metaphor, Zhang, Y (2012) emphasizes universality and variation of love metaphor in English and Chinese By using comparative and contrastive analysis, the author then gives out reasons for variation of conceptual metaphors
Also from cognitive view, Hồ Thị Thu Trang (2010) investigates ways of denoting characteristics through domestic animal metaphor In this research, she once more confirms the existence of metaphor in our daily lives through analyzing words and phrases about human characteristics Although the two above studies are not related much to my study, they actually give me the clear view about cognitive linguistics as well as conceptual metaphor and their methodology
Nguyễn Thị Yến Thoa (2005) points out some metaphors relating to parts of human body in English and Vietnamese words and phrases Relating to “hand” in English and “bàn tay” in Vietnamese, she gives some examples of metaphors but all of them describe the function of hands in both languages In this study, she has not referred to metaphors in idioms which contain “hand” element
General speaking, cognitive linguistics in general and metaphor in particular have been an attractive topic to researchers in Vietnam
Nguyễn Ngọc Vũ (2012) also investigates conceptual metaphor about power in English and Vietnamese idioms which contain the word “hand” Firstly, in that research, he once more confirms that the conceptual metaphor is the basis to create meaning of most of the idioms in both languages Secondly, thanks to the comparison between English and Vietnamese conceptualization, the learners can have better understanding about the two languages, especially how the abstract concept “power” is understood by the more concrete concept of “hand”
Also researching on power, Lương Thị Hiền (2007) does not base on conceptual metaphor about power; she focuses on describing words that denote power in daily communication in Vietnamese family She also gives a critical analysis of power from discourse analysis approach in that study
Despite all the existing books and research on power and conceptualization in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular, there has been no specific study on conceptual metaphor about power in English and Vietnamese idioms In this study, power in society and politics is especially emphasized and hopefully, it might help teachers, learners, and translators understand the two languages better Therefore, it has inspired me to carry out this study.
T HEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.2.1 An overview of Cognitive Linguistics
In Cognitive Linguistics, cognition is the key word used to refer to cognitive processes in which people, through their brain, receive, transmit and operate upon information (Lý Toàn Thắng, 2008).Therefore, linguistic knowledge emerges in general cognition and thinking According to Fauconnier and Turner
(1998), Cognitive Linguistics is considered“a powerful approach to the study of language, conceptual systems, human cognition, and general meaning construction” This approach is different from others in language sciences because it investigates the relationship between human language, the mind, and socio-physical experience (Evans, 2012) Therefore, this approach has exerted great influence on other fields of cognitive science
According to Evans (2012), Cognitive Linguistics is guided by two primary commitments Cognitive Commitment and Generalization Commitment are two terms used by Lackoff (1991:53) to show the cognition of human-beings through brains and naming things Cognitive Commitment helps to recognize the principles of linguistic structure in which the knowledge about human cognition is reflected from other cognitive and brain disciplines Meanwhile, the Generalization Commitment represents a dedication which characterizes general principles and they are applied to all aspects of human language
There are two main branches or approaches of cognitivism, namely cognitive approaches to grammar and cognitive semantics (Talmy, 2000) Cognitive semantics investigates the relationship between experience, the conceptual system and the semantic structure encoded by language (Evans and Green,
2006) This study mainly focuses on cognitive semantics because it concerns with the model of meaning In summary, cognitive linguistics in general and cognitive semantics in particular plays an important role in analyzing meaning, and so this study analyzes the linguistics expressions, and idioms that carry the meaning of power
Since the appearance of Cognitive linguistics in the mid-1970s, metaphor has attracted many scholars like Lackoff and Johnson (1980), Turner (1987), and Kovecses (2010) Metaphor is known as “understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another” (Lackoff and Johnson, 1980:5) The transference of meaning is based on the similarities of two objects Suggested by Lackoff and Johnson (1980), the Conceptual Metaphor theory is considered one of the earliest and the most influential theoretical framework Actually, metaphor is widely used in daily life like “the way we think, what we experience, and what we do every day” It is not simply “a figure of speech” (McGlone, 2007:109); it is actually called “fundamentally metaphorical in nature” Most of the metaphors in everyday language are conventional in nature, that is, they are stable expressions systematically used by people
According to McGlone (2007), traditional theory considers metaphor as the simplistic comparison through schematic forms like: X is Y or X is like Y The idiom “Call the shots/tunes”, for example, is metaphorically used to talk about people with great power or people who control everyone It is an example to reject the old linguistic formula Nowadays, that old theory is replaced by the advanced viewpoint developed by Lackoff and his colleagues Conceptual metaphor, as Lackoff and Johnson referred, is considered “the systematic structuring or restructuring” in which a target or abstract domain can be understood or re- conceptualized in terms of a source domain, a more concrete one
Metaphor is basically considered the foundation to create idioms (Nguyễn Ngọc
Vũ, 2012) For example, “have a big hand” means that somebody has had a lot of influence over something (Wright, 1999) because hand is the symbol of power In order to clearly understand the function of conceptual metaphor in creating idioms, this paper mainly focuses on analyzing conceptual metaphor about power in English idioms and contrasts them with Vietnamese idioms
To sum up, metaphor is “a matter of extraordinary rather than ordinary language” (Lackoff and Johnson, 1980:3) and it takes part in everyday language and life They are natural and unconsciously, they are conceptual means to understand even the most abstract concepts through concrete ones
According to the cognitive function, Lackoff and Johnson (1980) classify metaphors into three overlapping groups including structural, ontological and orientational metaphors
Structural metaphors, as in the famous book Metaphors We Live By, are cases where one concept is metaphorically structured in terms of another (Lackoff and Johnson, 2003:14) It also makes up the largest portion in conceptual metaphors
Structural metaphor is “internally consistent" and it "involves the structuring of one kind of experience or activity in terms of another kind of experience or activity” (Lackoff & Johnson, 1980:197) Therefore, in structural metaphors, one concept is understood and expressed in terms of another structure, sharply defined concept The cognitive function of metaphors ARGUMENT IS WAR is a typical example of a structural metaphor a Your claims are indefensible b He attacked every weak point in my argument His criticisms were right on target c I demolished his argument d I've never won an argument with him e You disagree? Okay, shoot! f If you use that strategy, he'll wipe you out He shot down all of my arguments
In those examples, an internally consistent WAR structure is imposed on the concept of ARGUMENT Arguments and wars are not the same concept; argument is verbal discourse while wars refer to armed conflict and they perform different kinds of action But ARGUMENT is partially structured, understood, performed, and talked about in terms of WAR like attack, defend or eventually win or lose The concept and the language are also metaphorically structured In conclusion, structural metaphors are cases which allow us to use one highly structured and clear concept to structure another
One of three overlapping categories of conceptual metaphors identified by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in Metaphors We Live By (1980) is ontological metaphor It is defined as "ways of viewing events, activities, emotions, ideas, etc., as entities and substances" In this group of metaphors, we can conceive intangible concepts, such as feelings, activities, and ideas as object and substances, and set up artificial boundaries for them As a result, once we can identify our experiences as entities or substances, we can refer to them, categorize them, group them, and quantify them (Lackoff and Johnson, 2003:26)
Ontological metaphors are used to comprehend events, actions, activities, and states Events and actions are conceptualized metaphorically as objects, activities as substances, states as containers The most typical example of ontological metaphor is container metaphor (Lackoff and Johnson, 1980) We are physical beings, bounded and set off from the rest of the world by the surface of our skins, and we experience the rest of the world as outside us Each of us is a container, with a bounding surface and an in-out orientation We project our own in-out orientation onto other physical objects that are bounded by surfaces For example, VISUAL FIELDS ARE CONTAINERS metaphors show up as follows: a The ship is coming into view b I have him in sight c I can't see him-the tree is in the way He's out of sight now d That's in the center of my field of vision There's nothing in sight
(Lackoff and Johnson, 2003:31) Visual fields are conceptualized like containers or rooms with an outside and inside The movement of the sight is described as the movement out of and into a container Thanks to ontological metaphors, non-physical objectscan be characterized as a physical entity
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES
R ESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In this study, contrastive analysis (C.A.) and comparative analysis are applied to identify similarities and differences between conceptual metaphor about power in English and Vietnamese idioms The reason to combine these two kinds of analysis is that they will support each other Contrastive studies, according to James (1980), mostly deal with the comparison of languages in order to find out differences rather than similarities of two languages for the implication for language teaching and learning and translating Comparative analysis, on the other hand, is described as a fundamental tool which sharpens the power of description (Collier, 1993) It plays a key role in suggesting similarities and contrast among cases Therefore, both of them are useful and effective tools and should be used in order to achieve the goal of this study.
D ATA
For the purpose of the study, English and Vietnamese idioms are selected from famous dictionaries of idioms In English, famous dictionaries are used including:
Oxford Idioms-Dictionary for Learners of English (2006) by Oxford University
Press; Dictionary of American Idioms by Spears, R.A (2005) and Longman American Idioms Dictionary by Urban, R (2000)
All Vietnamese idioms are cited from Thành ngữ tiếng Việt by Nguyễn Lực,
Lương Văn Đang (1993); Từ điển giải thích thành ngữ tiếng Việt by Nguyễn Như Ý (1998); and Từ điển Thành ngữ và Tục ngữ Việt Nam by Nguyễn Lân (2014).
D ATA COLLECTION
By checking their meanings carefully, 114 samples of metaphorical expression denoting the concept of power were found in those dictionaries These samples, including 63 in English and 51 in Vietnamese have been collected and classified based on the features of conceptual metaphor Due to many Vietnamese idioms carrying the concept of power which is not suitable for the scope of this study, for example, power in family; therefore, the number of Vietnamese idioms is smaller than English
While collecting and classifying the raw data, a number of questions were sent to my American friends in order to check and compare my understanding with the native speaker in order to find out the similarities and differences in the two cultures
D ATA ANALYSIS
Qualitative and quantitative methods are used to analyze the data in order to achieve the aims of the study Quantitatively, the data were analyzed in terms of the amount of structural, ontological and orientational metaphors to find out the similarity and difference in each kind of metaphor about power in English and Vietnamese idioms Qualitatively, the data were classified or examined based on the criteria of conceptual metaphor If the main strength of quantitative research is neutral and can be generalized (Roman et al, 2013), qualitative research, on the other hand, can create knowledge about new phenomena and complex interrelations that have not yet been researched thoroughly or at all (Seipel and Rieker, 2003).
R ESEARCH PROCEDURES
The research aims to find out the similarities and differences between conceptual metaphor about power in English and Vietnamese idioms In order to achieve the goals, a number of steps were carried out:
Step 1: Conduct the literature review and establish the theoretical background of the study
Firstly, previous research was analyzed to find out what has been done and what not with the topics of conceptual metaphors, idioms and power The author, then, gives the reasons why to choose this topic
Secondly, the theoretical framework of this study includes cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphors, idioms and power which are clearly described to guide this study
Based on the theoretical framework of this study, about 100 samples are sorted out carefully from 6 dictionaries in both English and Vietnamese In order to collect idioms which convey the concept of power, the author must pay much attention to their explanations by different authors and/or language users because the meaning of idioms is not based on its constituents While collecting and classifying the data, all the samples are carefully chosen in order to answer the two research questions
In this study, the data are classified into three types, namely structural metaphors, ontological metaphors and orientational metaphors pursuant to Lackoff and Johnson (1980) The number and percentage of metaphoric expression in each type of conceptual metaphors are pointed out clearly to clarify the reliability and validity of this study Also in each type of conceptual metaphor, the similarities and differences in expressing the concept of power in English and Vietnamese idioms are identified through comparison and contrast
Step 4: Present the findings, discussion and conclusion
Step 3 generates important findings, which are then discussed, and finally conclusions are drawn The study ends with some implications, limitations and suggestions for further studies.
R ELIABILITY AND VALIDITY
In terms of reliability, all the data of this study are mainly collected from published dictionaries and books in English and Vietnamese Moreover, any information cited in this study is from reliable sources with clear reference of its author, time and place of publication
In terms of validity, all of English and Vietnamese idioms are selected carefully and truly representative In order to understand which idioms convey the concept of power, we must base on the explanation by famous authors and experts The expressions in English are also double-checked by the explanation of professors in Vietnam and English native speakers through email to ensure the quality of the study.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Q UANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
In order to understand the abstract concept of power, there are a range of source or concrete domains The collected data are grouped into 9 sets of conceptual metaphors according to three types of conceptual metaphor as follows:
Power is the human body
Power is the human activities
Power is up, no power is down
The specific number of each kind of conceptual metaphors is presented in Table 3.1
Power is the human body
Power is the human activities
Power is up, no power is down
Table 3.1: Quantity and percentage of conceptual metaphors about power in English and Vietnamese idioms
Table 3.1 points out the difference in the occurrence and percentage of conceptual metaphors about power in both languages Structural metaphors make up 71.1% of all three types and they have the highest frequency Orientational metaphors account for 17.5% at the second position and the lowest frequency type is ontological metaphors which make up 11.4% in total
The table below will show the percentage as well as quantity of structural metaphors used in both English and Vietnamese idioms
Structural metaphors English idioms Vietnamese idioms
Power is the human body 9 7.9% 7 6.1%
Power is the human activities 17 14.9% 11 9.7%
Table 3.2: Quantity and percentage of structural metaphors about power in
Noticeably, Table 3.2 shows a set of concrete concepts or source domains used to denote the abstract concept or target domain of power
The highest occurrence of conceptual metaphor about power is “power is human activities” which make up 24.6% 17 expressions in English 11 in Vietnamese of this kind are found Thanks to the high number of idioms used, conceptual metaphor “power is physical forces” is ranked the second position with 16.7%, less than 6% compared with the first rank It is easily understood that power is closely related with human beings because the abstract concept of power is understood through many source domains or concrete concepts which are closely to human beings The lowest occurrence belongs to “power as a thief” and
“power is a game” which account for 0.9%
Power is also understood as the human body, which is also known as one of the most common source domain (Kovecses, 2010:18), animals and relatives which makes up14%, 8.8% and 5.3% respectively To sum up, power is expressed in so many concrete concepts or source domains in both languages but some kinds of metaphor in one language cannot find their equivalence in the other The different quantities of each kind of metaphor are also a proof of differences in the way power is denoted
The following table will illustrate clearly the number and percentage of this conceptualization in both English and Vietnamese idioms
Ontological metaphors English idioms Vietnamese idioms
Table 3.3: Quantity and percentage of ontological metaphors about power in English and Vietnamese idioms
Ontological metaphors which account for 11.4% are the lowest type in all conceptual metaphors about power There is a big gap in the expression of power as a container when 13 expressions of this kind are found in English but there is no equivalence in Vietnamese
Orientational metaphors English idioms Vietnamese idioms
Power is up, no power is down 11 9.6% 9 7.9%
Table 3.4: Quantity and percentage of orientational metaphors about power in English and Vietnamese idioms
In my data, orientational metaphors account for 17.5% in total of conceptual metaphors about power 20 idioms of this kind are found, in which 11 in English and 9 in Vietnamese Although spatial orientation is different in each language (Lackoff and Johnson, 1980), the collected data prove that the two languages share the similarity As a result, having controlor power is oriented up and no power is oriented down in both languages.
Q UALITATIVE ANALYSIS
In this part, about 40 idioms about power in both English and Vietnamese will be qualitatively analyzed They are all truly representative idioms which will be grouped into 9 sets of conceptual metaphor as follows The analysis will not start from the highest to the lowest occurrence or number of conceptual metaphors in both languages They will be thoroughly analyzed in the order from structural metaphors, ontological metaphor to orientational metaphor, i.e the same order in Table 3.1 In each example, the words that are the focus of the analysis are in italics
3.2.1 Power is the human body
According to Kovecses (2010:18), the human body is one of the most common or ideal source domains which are used in conceptual metaphors because for us it is clearly delineated and we believe that we know it well This does not mean that we make use of all aspects of this domain in metaphorically understanding abstract targets The aspects that are especially used in metaphorical comprehension in this study include three elements hand and hair
(1) To lay hand on someone
(2) Get/have by short hairs
(3) To rule sb/sth with an iron hand
It is easy to understand that idioms containing the element hand outnumber others because hand is normally the symbol of power (8 over 9 idioms) For example, when you keep something in hand, it means that you have the right to use it or power over it
Similarly to English, the metaphors “power is the human body” are found with high occurrence and percentage in Vietnamese idioms Nearly half of Vietnamese idioms found also contain “hand” element Obviously, in both
English and Vietnamese idioms, “hand” is a part of the human body which is often used than other parts to denote power
(4) Cờ đến tay ai người ấy phất
(5) Tay hòm chìa khoá Besides the idioms with “hand”, other elements like “mặt (face)”, “tai (ear)”, and “miệng (mouth)”are found in Vietnamese idioms
(6) Cả vú lấp miệng em
To summarize, both languages use the middle and upper parts of the human body to convey the concept of power The idioms containing “hand” are used the most but in English it is used more frequently than in Vietnamese
3.2.2 Power is the human activities
Normally, the speakers not only show their power through language but they also show their power through daily activities Therefore, verbs denoting human activities and movement as call, dance, carry, twist, draw and eat, etc are used to express metaphors “power is human activities”
(11) Carry weight From the above examples, we can understand that in English power is considered important and heavy things so that people must carry it, as in (11)
Power is also refer to something that you have to obey because of someone‟s authority, as (9) and (10) show In my data, 17 English idioms and 11 Vietnamese idioms of this type are found Those numbers show that it is not difficult to find this type of metaphor in both languages In Vietnamese, the verbs like eat, talk or shout, which are used to refer to daily activities, are now combined with other words in idioms to form the meaning of power
The action described in example (14) has the close meaning with “point the finger at sb” in English They all describe the power of people at higher position to lower ones
Although there is a big gap in the number of idioms found in both languages, they are similar in using diverse activities and movements to denote the concept of power
Three idioms in English are found to express the conceptualization “power is animals” According to Kovecses (2010:19), the domain of animals is an extremely productive source domain Human beings are especially frequently understood in terms of properties of animals Therefore, we can talk about someone through the image of some animals like a dog, a tiger, a fox, etc
Similarly to the life of human beings, the bigger or stronger animals will have more power than the smaller ones People with more power in physical strength or political position in society tend to have the authority to control others For examples:
(15) Big fish in a small pond
(16) Clip sb‟s wings Power is understood as a big fish in (15) which has more advantage than others
It means that the fish can influence or control others Wings in (16) are known as part of the body that a bird, insect or bat used for flying Without wings, a bird cannot be free or develop and have no power “Clip sb’s wings” means somebody with higher power limits the right to do something of the others or constrain their power
There are 7 expressions in Vietnamese of this kind found, double than in English Similarly to English, animals in general and fish in particular are the image to compare with people in such an idiom as:
(17) Cá mè đè cá chép Contrasted to the image of small animals with clipped wings in English, “hùm”
(tiger) is used in Vietnamese to express the metaphor “power is animals”
In Vietnamese culture, “hùm” (tiger) is called as king or lord of animals and they are also the symbol of power
Obviously, animals in general and fish or tiger in particular are the image to compare with people Moreover, fish is used to denote power in both English and Vietnamese idioms
In the scope of my study, there exist no English idioms that use the metaphor
“power is relatives” Contrasted to English, 6 idioms of this type are found in Vietnamese
This thesis focuses on the power in society and politics, therefore no idioms about power in family, for example, are analyzed The idiom “quyền huynh, thế phụ” (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:371) is one example of power in family; it means that of the most powerful people in that family
Vietnamese people often treasure family value and have high collective character; therefore, using words that describe relationship among relatives including: grandfather, father in idioms to denote power is understandable For examples:
(20) Con ông sấm cháu ông sét
In society or even in politics, if one person was born in the rich and powerful family, he or she will have more advantage and power than others
S IMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
Conceptual metaphors about power are found in both English and Vietnamese idioms in different quantities From the collected data, there are 9 types of source domains grouped in three kinds of conceptual metaphors as structural metaphors, ontological metaphor and orientational metaphors Although the quantities of each type of metaphor in the two languages are different, they also share similarities in some expressions
Conceptual metaphor about power is found in both English and Vietnamese idioms with the nearly equal number in the collected data General speaking, two types of conceptual metaphor including structural metaphors, and orientational metaphors are all found in both English and Vietnamese idioms
In terms of structural aspect, the target domain power is conceptualized in terms of a set of correspondent source domain The conceptual metaphor “power is the human body” is found in both English and Vietnamese people with the pretty high number of hand elements Hand is often considered the symbol of power because keeping something in hand means that you have the right to control it or power to it
Power is also conceptualized as human activities, which account for high frequency in both English and Vietnamese with 14.9 % and 9.6 % respectively
With 10 idioms expressing the metaphor “power is animals”, 3 in English and 7 in Vietnamese, we can see that both languages share similarities in conceptualizing this concept
Also, power is mapped from the source domain of physical forces in both English and Vietnamese idioms Vietnamese use of the words like firmly press or ride and saw or cut into pieces suggests a strong action of one person to another which make that person unable to stand as normal, for example: “Đè đầu cưỡi cổ” The English seem to use the strong verb like bend, pull as in “Bending the rules” and “Pull strings”
Regarding orientational metaphors, both English and Vietnamese idioms conceptualize this kind of metaphor Based on physical and cultural experience as Lackoff and Johnson mentioned when talking about orientaional metaphors, both two languages have experienced in giving a concept of spatial orientation
“power is up, no power is down”
To sum up, power always exists in every corner of our lives; therefore; conceptual metaphors about power in English and Vietnamese idioms are rich with a set of experiences
Besides the similarities, conceptual metaphors about power also occur differently in English and Vietnamese idioms From the collected data, there are 9 types of source domains grouped in 3 main types of conceptual metaphors
In terms of structural metaphors, the numbers of each type of metaphor in the two languages are different For examples, the conceptual metaphor “power is human activities” is found in English idioms with 17 expressions (14.9%); meanwhile, there are only 11 idioms of this type found in Vietnamese idioms
There are two types of metaphors namely “power is a thief” and “power is relatives” which are not found in English idioms
In terms of ontological metaphors, the expression of “power is a container” is only found in English with 13 idioms The abstract concept of power seems to have boundaries by using some words like: in, out of, under
In terms of orientational metaphors, the numbers of idioms which convey the metaphor “power is up, no power is down” are not similar in the two languages
To sum up, the similarities and differences in denoting the concept of power also help people understand deeply about the cultures of the two language community
RECAPITULATION
Metaphors in idioms are very interesting but complicated to study Due to the scope of the study, this research cannot cover all the aspects of power in idioms as power in family and power of gender; for example, it has attempted to investigate conceptual metaphor about power in politics and society in English idioms then compared them with Vietnamese ones to find out the similarities and differences in the two languages
In this research, two languages shared similarities in conceptualizing power in some conceptual metaphors: “power is the human body, power is human activities, power is animals, power is physical forces and power is up and no power is down” Power is also understood as “a thief”, “a game” or “a container” in English idioms whereas power is conceptualized as “relatives” in Vietnamese idioms In each kind of metaphor, the way to express the concept of power also showed the similarities and differences For example, in conceptual metaphor
“power is the human bodies”, hand is a part of the human body which often used than other parts to denote power in both English and Vietnamese idioms Besides hand, hair is used in English whereas face and mouth are used in Vietnamese idioms.
IMPLICATIONS
Metaphor and idioms are interesting but difficult to study Therefore, some implications were pointed out to students major in English Firstly, conceptual metaphor has been proved to take part in everyday language and life in various studies Therefore, teachers should make their students understand the nature and the significance of conceptual metaphors, and how it is applied in daily life
Secondly, teachers can explain to students about idioms, the structure, meaning and its difference with other types like proverbs, collocations and sayings, the role of conceptual metaphor in creating meaning for idioms Learners often have difficulties in dealing with idioms in the context because the meaning of idioms cannot be guessed from the meaning of each word in that idiom Moreover, teachers can teach how to translate English idioms in English to Vietnamese and vice versa through the knowledge of culture
Thirdly, based on the conceptual metaphor theory, many aspects can be used to talk like: what are the target and source domains, the mapping in which the abstract domain is understood by the more concrete one, or three main types of metaphors, namely structural metaphors, ontological metaphors and orientational metaphors With each type of conceptual metaphor, teacher may explain how it is conceptualized, the difference in culture which is reflected clearly in orientational metaphors
Fourthly, the result of this study is expected to help students in learning vocabulary as well as enhancing their reading comprehension Conceptual metaphors provide students understanding of abstract concepts in terms of another It is a good way to expand vocabulary in general The more vocabularies they comprehend, the more their reading skill will improve
Idioms are something special in each language system because they contain some cultural distinctive features which distinguish one language from another
Idioms are also fixed in their structure and meaning so translators may encounter problems such as: “An idiom may have no equivalent in the target language An idiom may have a similar counterpart in the target language, but its context of use may be different An idiom may be used in the source text in both its literal and idiomatic senses at the same time.” (Baker, 1992:68-69)
Idioms reflect certain cultural traditions and the national character as well
Therefore, when translating idioms in general and idioms about power in particular from English to Vietnamese and vice versa, we should try to use an idiom of similar meaning and form or paraphrase them so that readers can understand them correctly One example is the idiom “big fish in a small pond” which can be rendered in Vietnamese as “chột làm vua xứ mù” This kind of correspondence is not common but it is ideal if such equivalence is found
Another example is the idiom “crack the whip” which is difficult to find the equivalence, so the best way is paraphrasing That idiom can be paraphrased
“use authority or power to make somebody work very hard, usually by treating them in a strict way” and it can be rendered in Vietnamese as “đe doạ ai bằng quyền lực”
In short, in the translation of English idioms about power into Vietnamese and vice versa, translators should pay attention not only to idioms‟ structure but also their figurative meaning(s) and cultural features.
LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
This thesis mainly focuses on the similarities and differences of conceptual metaphors about power in English and Vietnamese idioms Although this research is not good reference for all kinds of students, we have done our best to investigate, analyze and fulfill this thesis There are certainly some mistakes due to the deficiency in materials and time Firstly, the scope of the study has limited to a certain area, which is power in society and politics The data are only collected from English and Vietnamese idioms It means that many sources of data like proverbs and sayings need to be examined in other studies Secondly, the sample size of this research is rather limited It cannot make readers understand the richness of the two languages when expressing the concept of power in idioms Power exists in every aspect of life; therefore, further research on power should be carried out
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LIST OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS ABOUT POWER IN ENGLISH IDIOMS
1 Structural metaphors 1.1 Power is human bodies
No English idioms Explanation Vietnamese meaning
1 Lay/get your hands on somebody (Oxford
Catch sb who has done something wrong
2 Get/ have sb by the short hairs (Oxford University, 2006:351)
Have sb in a position where they must agree what you want
Bị ai kiểm soát hoàn toàn
A way of treating people that is much stronger Độc đoán, phạt nặng
4 Keep one‟s hand in (Spears
Remain involved in something Điều hành
Stop sb doing st by taking away their power
Ngăn chặn quyền lực của ai
7 The dead hand of st
An influence that controls st Ảnh hưởng
8 Have sb eating out of your hand (Oxford University, 2006:104) have sb completely in your control
Hoàn toàn kiểm soát ai
9 To rule sb/st with an iron hand (Oxford University, 2006:333 control sb/st in very strong way
Cai trị ai/cái gì bằng bàn tay sắt-Kiểm soát chặt chẽ
No English idioms Explanation Vietnamese meaning
1 Lay down the law (Oxford
Give sb express your opinion in an aggressive way when you have no right to do so Đưa ra quy tắc
Call the shots/tunes (Oxford University, 2006:49)
Be in control/ control the others Kiểm soát/ điều khiển
Be important or able to influence sb
Dance to sb‟s tune (Oxford
University, 2006:81) Do whatever sb tell you to do
Tuân theo người có quyền
Point the finger at sb (Oxford University, 2006:297) Accuse sb of doing st Quở trách, buộc tội ai
Keep a tight rein on sb (Oxford University,
2006:321) Control sb Nắm quyền hành
7 Have the run of st (Oxford
University, 2006:333) Allow to do st freely Có quyền làm gì
Have/keep sb on a string (Oxford University, 2006:388)
Make sb do what you want because you have control over them
Có thế lực để làm theo ý mình
Put the squezze on sb (Oxford University, 2006:376)
Put pressure on sb to act in a particular way
Tạo áp lực cho ai làm gì
Put sb in their place (Oxford University, 2006:293)
Remind sb forcefully of their position at work or in society
Quở trách, nhắc nhở ai về địa vị của người đó
Put sb through it (Oxford University, 2006:310) Force sb to do st difficult Bắt ai làm việc khó khăn
Put your foot down (Oxford University, 2006:135)
Use your authority to stop sb doing st
Dùng quyền lực ngăn chặn ai làm gì
Twist sb around your little finger (Oxford University,
Be able to influence sb very easily
Chi phối, chế ngự ai
Force or persuade sb to do st Buộc ai làm gì
Draw the short straw (Oxford University, 2006:97)
Be forced to do st unpleasant
Bị bắt buộc làm gì
University, 2006:104) Be force to admit st Buộc phải thừa nhận
No English idioms Explanation Vietnamese meaning
1 Big fish in a small pond (Oxford University, 2006:27)
Important person in a small group
Chột làm vua xứ mù
2 Clip sb‟s wings (Oxford University, 2006:63)
Limit sb‟s power Ngăn chặn quyền hành của ai
A person, group or country that is better or more powerful than all
Người đứng đầu the others
No English idioms Explanation Vietnamese meaning
1 Play fast and loose with sb/st: (Oxford University, 2006:120)
Treat sb/st in a way that you feel no responsibility for them
Hành động vô trách nhiệm/ ngược đãi bất kể quyền lợi của họ
No English idioms Explanation Vietnamese meaning
1 Bend the rules (Oxford University, 2006:333)
Allow sb to break the rules
2 Crack the whip (Oxford University, 2006:74)
Use your authority or power to make sb work very hard Đe doạ ai bằng quyền lực
3 Force sb‟s hand (Oxford University, 2006:136)
Force sb to do st differently buộc ai làm gì ngoài ý muốn của họ
4 Force the issue (Oxford University, 2006:136)
Do st to make people take action quickly (3,
Làm điều gì đó khiến người khác phải làm gì nhanh chóng
5 Force the pace (Oxford University, 2006:136)
Make sb do st quickly Bắt ai làm gì nhanh chóng
6 A force to be reckoned with (Oxford University, 2006:136)
A person that has a lot of power and influence
7 Pull strings for sb (Oxford University, 2006:308)
Use influence in order to get an advantage of sb
Chi phối, ảnh hưởng ai
8 Pull rank on sb (Oxford University, 2006:308)
Make unfair use your authority
Khẳng định mình bằng chức vụ hay địa vị
9 Take a hold (Oxford Have complete control Hoàn toàn kiểm
University, 2006:182) over sb/st soát ai
No English idioms Explanation Vietnamese meaning
1 In sb‟s pocket (Oxford University, 2006:296)
Under sb‟s influence, in sb‟s control
2 An iron hand in a velvet glove (Oxford University, 2006:194)
Harsh treatment of sb that is hidden behind a gentle manner
Bàn tay sắt bọc nhung/ đối xử với ai nhẹ nhàng nhưng cực kì độc ác
3 Take sb/st in hand: (Oxford University, 2006:162) begin to control or look after sb/st
4 Take the law into your own hands (Oxford University, 2006: 212)
Take action personally against sb who has broken the law or done st wrong, instead of calling the police
5 Have sb in the palm of your hand (Oxford University, 2006:279)
Have sb completely under your control or influence
Hoàn toàn kiểm soát ai
6 Get/let sb off the hook (Oxford University, 2006:184)
Allow sb to escape from difficult situation
Giúp ai thoát khỏi trách nhiệm
7 Fall into sb‟s hands (Oxford University, 2006:163)
The hands of somebody: be taken, captured or obtained by sb
8 Out of sb‟s hands (Oxford University, 2006:163)
No longer in the control of or responsibility of sb
9 Under sb‟s thumb (Oxford University, 2006:409)
Completely controlled or influenced by
Bị kiểm soát, chế ngự
10 Get out of hand (Oxford University, 2006:161)
Become difficult or impossible to control
11 Take st/sb off sb‟s hands (Oxford University, 2006:163)
Take st away from sb or take responsibility from sb Đỡ cho ai nhẹ bớt/ chịu trách nhiệm cho ai
12 Off sb‟s hands (Oxford University, 2006:163) no longer the responsibility of sb
Không còn là trách nhiệm của ai
13 In sb‟s keeping (Oxford University, 2006:200) being taken care by sb Dưới sự kiểm soát của ai
3.1 Power is up, no power is down
1 Have friends in high places (Oxford University, 2006:140) know important people with power and influence
Quen biết người có quyền
2 At the top of the tree/ladder (Oxford University, 2006:417)
At the highest position in a career
Người có địa vị cao nhất
3 Lord it over sb (Oxford University, 2006:228)
Act as if you are better or more important than
Chế ngự, kiểm soát ai sb
4 Get/have the whip hand over sb (Oxford University, 2006:446)
Have power or control (over sb)
5 Come/go up in the world (Oxford University, 2006:455)
Become more successful Thăng tiến
6 Come/go down in the world (Oxford University, 2006:455)
Become less successful Mất địa vị xã hội
7 High man on the totem pole (Spears R.A, 2005:301)
The person at the top of the hierarchy
Người có quyền cao nhất
8 The top brass (Oxford University, 2006:417)
People with power and authority
9 Have the upper hands over sb (Oxford University, 2006:429)
Get power or control over sb
10 The upper crust (Oxford University, 2006:429)
People who are in highest social class
Người ở tầng lớp cao nhất trong xã hội
11 Have one up on sb (Oxford University, 2006:271)
Be in a better position than sb
Có chức vụ cao hơn
LIST OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS ABOUT POWER IN
1 Structural metaphor 1.1 Power is the human body
1 Tay hòm chìa khoá (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:402)
2 Cờ đến tay ai người ấy phất (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:99)
3 Cờ đã đến tay (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:99)
4 Cả vú lấp miệng em (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:68)
5 Tai to mặt lớn/ mặt to tai lớn (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:293)
6 Rộng miệng cả tiếng (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:379)
7 Có máu mặt (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:92)
1 Ngồi mát ăn bát vàng (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:234)
2 Hét ra lửa (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:160)
3 Thét ra lửa (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:160)
4 Ăn to nói lớn (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:45)
5 Chỉ tay năm ngón (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:83)
6 Ăn sống nuốt tươi (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:43)
7 Xưng hùng, xưng bá (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:496)
9 Quyền thu, quyền phát (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:371)
10 Quyền sinh, quyền sát (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:371)
11 Tàn che, ngựa cưỡi (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:400)
1 Cá mè đè cá chép(Nguyễn Lân, 2014:59)
2 Cá lớn nuốt cá bé(Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:68)
3 Cáo mượn oai hùm (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:70
4 Cá mè đè cá chép(Nguyễn Lân, 2014:59)
5 Cá lớn nuốt cá bé(Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:68)
6 Có sừng, có mỏ(Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:93)
7 Có tai, có mỏ (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:93)
1 Con ông cháu cha (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:97)
2 Con ông sấm cháu ông sét (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:112)
3 Con ông cống cháu ông nghè (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:112)
4 Con ông thánh cháu ông thần (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:112)
5 Con dòng, cháu giống (Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang, 1993:96)
6 Đàn anh kẻ cả (Nguyễn Lân, 2014:140)
1 1 Ăn cướp cơm chim ( Nguyễn Lân, 2014:128)