An initial investigation into a number of metaphors employing the human body parts in english and vietnamese

DECLARATION I hereby declare that no part of the enclosed Master Thesis has been copied or reproduced by me from any other’s work without acknowledgement and that the thesis is original written by me under strict guidance of my supervisor Hanoi, December 23rd 2013 Approved by Candidate i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe the completion of this work to the following people: First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Tran Xuan Diep, for his encouragement and guidance throughout the research Without his well-designed plan and meticulous review of the draft, this thesis would never have been completed I would like to acknowledge and express my appreciation to my colleagues at University of Transport Technology, English department for their enthusiastic supports and constructive suggestions in completing this research I also wish to thank all the staff members of the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies, Hanoi Open University for giving me the possible assistance to complete my thesis Last but not least, my gratitude is extended to my parents for their endless love, constant supports and encouragements ii ABSTRACT This study investigates the use of the metaphors employing the names of the human-body parts in English and their equivalents in Vietnamese It is carried out with the aim of describing a number of the metaphors employing the names of the human-body parts in English and finding the similarities and the differences between those and the metaphors based on the same humanbody parts in Vietnamese In the thesis, eight names of the human-body parts are analyzed to find out the similarities and differences in the English and Vietnamese metaphors The study is an initial investigation into a number of metaphors employing the human-body parts in English and Vietnamese, so the further studies are also presented iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Some Examples of “Head” in English and their Equivalents in Vietnamese Table 2: Some Examples of Phrases Containing “Head” in English without Equivalents in Vietnamese Table 3: Some Examples of Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Face” and their Equivalents in Vietnamese Table 4: Some Examples of Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Eye” and their Equivalents in Vietnamese Table 5: Some Examples of Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Mouth” and “Miệng” Table 6: A Number of Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Mouth” but without equivalents Table 7: A Number of Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Nose” and their Equivalents in Vietnamese Table 8: A Number of Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Body” and their Equivalents in Vietnamese Table 9: Some Examples of Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Hand” but without Equivalents Table 10: A Number of Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Arm” and their Equivalents in Vietnamese iv Table 11: A Number of English Phrases Containing the Word “Leg” and their Equivalents in Vietnamese Table 12: Some Examples of English Phrases Containing the Word “Foot” and their Equivalents in Vietnamese Table 13: A Number of Phrases Containing the Word “Foot” and “Chân” v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES iv TABLE OF CONTENTS vi PART I: INTRODUCTION .1 Rationale of the Study Objectives of the Study Research Questions Scope of the Study Methods of the Study Design of the Study PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Literature Review 1.2 Theoretical Background 1.2.1 Language and Thought 1.2.1.1 Concepts of Language 1.2.1.2 Relation between Language and Thought 11 1.2.2 Word and its Meaning 13 vi 1.2.2.1 Concept of Word 13 1.2.2.2 Types of Word Meaning 14 1.2.2.2.1 Grammatical Meaning 14 1.2.2.2.2 Lexical Meaning 15 1.2.2.2.2.1 Types of Lexical Meaning 15 1.2.2.2.2.2 Components of Lexical Meaning 16 1.2.3 Metaphors in English 18 1.2.3.1 Concepts of Metaphor 18 1.2.3.2 Functions of Metaphor 21 1.2.3.3 Kinds of Metaphors 23 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 26 2.1 Research Design 26 2.2 Research Methods and Procedures 26 2.3 Description of Samples 28 2.4 Data Collection and Data Analysis 28 2.4.1 Data Collection 28 2.4.2 Data Analysis 29 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 30 3.1 Metaphors Employing the Names of the Human-Body Parts in English and Vietnamese 30 3.1.1 The Metaphors Employing “Head” in English and their Equivalents in Vietnamese 30 3.1.2 The Metaphors Employing “Face” in English and their Equivalents in Vietnamese 34 vii 3.1.3 The Metaphors Employing “Eye” in English and their Equivalents in Vietnamese 37 3.1.4 The Metaphors Employing “Mouth” in English and their Equivalents in Vietnamese 40 3.1.5 The Metaphors Employing “Nose” in English and their Equivalents in Vietnamese 42 3.1.6 The Metaphors Employing “Body” in English and their Equivalents in Vietnamese 45 3.1.7 The Metaphors Employing “Hand” and “Arm” in English and their Equivalents in Vietnamese 46 3.1.8 The Metaphors Employing “Foot” and “Leg” in English and their Equivalents in Vietnamese 49 3.2 The Similarities and the Differences in English and Vietnamese 54 PART III: CONCLUSION 58 Recapitulation: 58 Limitations of the Study: 59 Suggestions for Further Studies: 60 REFERENCES 61 APPENDICES 64 viii PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the Study Metaphor is a widely-used figure of speech in language The word “metaphor” comes from Greek, meaning “to transfer” or to “carry over” This universal linguistic phenomenon can be found in the writings of Greek philosophers, as well as of contemporary linguists (cf Richards, 1965; Leech, 1969; Dagut, 1976; and Maalej, 2002) The earliest definition of metaphor—quoted from Aristotle's The Poetics by Richard (1965: 89) is "a shift carrying over a word from its normal use to a new one." Under this quite broad definition, all other instances of semantic extension such as allegory, synecdoche, metonymy, etc might be categorized as being metaphoric Studies of metaphor have been largely dedicated to issues such as the meaning, forms, components and the role of metaphors as speech ornaments In this study, the English and Vietnamese meaning of a number of metaphors employing human-body parts will be looked at The words/ phrases denoting parts of human body are used metaphorically but the way they are used varies from one language to another This can be explained by the fact that the way metaphors are utilized is due to people's life experience, worldviews or people's cognition of the outside world In the broader terms, it is also due to the language users' culture For this reason, cognitive process underlying metaphors varies from one language to another Therefore, it is necessary for many teachers as well as learners of English to understand how the words denoting parts of human body are used metaphorically in English and Vietnamese, how similar they are and how different they are from each other For such reasons, the study of "An Initial Investigation into a Number of Metaphors Employing the HumanBody Parts in English and Vietnamese" is intended Objectives of the Study - To describe a number of the metaphors employing the names of human body parts in English - To find the similarities and differences between those and the metaphors based on the same human-body parts in Vietnamese Research Questions In order to achieve the objectives stated, the study is intended to find out the answers to the following research questions: What are the metaphoric meanings of words/ phrases denoting the names of common objects derived from names of human-body parts in English and in Vietnamese? What are the equivalents in the metaphoric meanings of words employing the names of human-body parts between English and Vietnamese? 22 Hoàng Văn Hành (2008), “Thành ngữ học tiếng Việt”, Nxb Khoa học xã hội 23 Phan Thế Hưng (2007) “Ẩn dụ ý niệm”, Tạp chí ngơn ngữ, tháng 7/2007 (218) trang 9-18, Viện ngôn ngữ học 24 Đinh Trọng Lạc (1996), “99 biện pháp tu từ tiếng Việt”, Nxb GD Hà Nội 25 Nguyễn Lân (1997), “Từ Điển Thành Ngữ Tục Ngữ Việt Nam”, Nxb KHXH Hà Nội 26 Hoàng Kim Ngọc (2009), “So sánh & Ẩn dụ ca dao trữ tình”, Nxb Khoa học xã hội 27 Nguyễn Đức Tồn (2009), “Đặc trưng tư người Việt qua ẩn dụ tri nhận thành ngữ”, Tạp chí Ngơn ngữ, Số 28 Nguyễn Đức Tồn (2007), “Để giúp thêm cho việc dạy khái niệm ẩn dụ”, Tạp chí Ngơn ngữ, Số 10 WEBSITES: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ForceDynamics http://ling.ucsd.edu http://vndic.net/ http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ http://data.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/jspui/handle/123456789/331 http://tailieuso.udn.vn/handle/TTHL_125/43 63 APPENDICES Noun phrase containing the word “head” English Vietnamese The head of the line Đầu dòng The head of the paper Đầu trang The head of a tape recorder Đầu từ The head of the staircase Đầu cầu thang The head of a nail Đầu đinh ốc The head of a pin Đầu đinh ghim 7.The head of the train Đầu tàu The head of the table Đầu bàn The head of the bed Đầu giường 10 The head of the stair Đầu cầu thang 11 The head of the page Đầu trang sách 12 The head of the queue Đầu hàng 13 The head of the village Đầu làng 64 14 The head of the valley Đầu thung lũng 15 The head of the river Đầu sông 16 The head of the lake Đầu nguồn hồ 17 The head of an arrow Đầu tên 18 Headline Dòng đầu 19 Headscarf Khăn trùm đầu 20 Headword Từ đầu (đề mục) 21 Headnote Lời giải thích đầu trang 22 Headboard Tấm ván đầu giường 23 Headband Dải băng buộc đầu Noun phrases containing “head” in English without equivalents in Vietnamese English Vietnamese The head of cabbage Cái bắp cải The head of hair Mái tóc dày cộm The head of the kiln Lị vơi The head of radish Cái củ cải 65 Head case người mắc bệnh tâm thần Headland Mũi biển Headphone Tai nghe Headstone Bia mộ Headstock Bệ đỡ trục quay 10 Headtree Khối gỗ Noun phrases containing “đầu” in Vietnamese without equivalents in English Vietnamese English Đầu mối Clue Đầu sách Book title Đầu vú Nipple Đầu Output Đầu ngón tay Fingertip Đầu lọc Filter-tip Đầu Topic 66 Đầu cắm Plug Đầu xe ô tô Nose of the car 10 Đầu lâu Skull 11 Đầu gối Knee 12 Đầu máy Engine 13 Đầu VIDEO VIDEO Cassette 14 Đầu bếp Cook Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Face” and their equivalents in Vietnamese English Vietnamese Face of the earth Mặt đất Face of the clock Mặt đồng hồ Face of the card Mặt Face of a building Mặt tiền tòa nhà Face of the diamond Mặt kim cương Face of the water Mặt nước 67 Face of the road Mặt đường Face-cloth Khăn mặt Face pack Kem dưỡng da mặt Noun phrases containing the word “mặt” without equivalents in English Vietnamese English Mặt chữ Handwriting Mặt trời Sun Mặt trăng Moon 4.Mặt trống Drumhead Mặt kính Glass Mặt gương lồi Convex lens Mặt thớt Wooden chopping block Mặt hàng Product Noun Phrases Containing theWord “Mắt” and “Eye” 68 English Vietnamese Eye of the potato Mắt khoai tây Eye of the hurricane Mắt bão Eyeglass Mắt kính Eye of the peacock’s tail Chấm đuôi công Eye of the needle Lỗ kim Hook and eye Cái móc gài Eyebrow Lơng mày Ankle Mắt cá Mesh Mắt lưới Link of a chain Mắt xích Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Mouth” and “Miệng” English Vietnamese Mouth of the pit Miệng hố 69 Mouth of the bag Miệng túi Mouth of the box Miệng hộp Mouth of the well Miệng giếng Mouth of the bowl Miệng bát Mouth of the bottle Miệng chai Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Mouth”, “Miệng” without equivalents English Vietnamese Mouth of the cave Cửa hang Mouth of the river Cửa sông Mouth of the oven Cửa lò Mouth organ Kèn acmonica Mouth piece Kèn sáo Mouthwash Thuốc súc miệng Muzzle Miệng súng The crater of the volcano Miệng núi lửa 70 Manhole Miệng cống Noun phrases containing the word “hand” English Vietnamese Hand of the clock Kim đồng hồ Hand of bananas Nải chuối Hand of tobacco leaves Nắm thuốc Hand barrow Cán băng ca, xe ba gác Hand bell Chuông nhỏ 10 Hand bill Truyền đơn 11 Hand book Sổ tay 12 Hand canter Nước kiệu nhỏ 13 Hand cart Xe ba gác 14 Hand cuff Khóa tay 15 Hand glass Gương nhỏ, lúp cầm tay 16 Hand loom Khung cửi 17 Hand mill Cối xay tay 71 18 Hand saw Cưa tay 19 Hand spike Cây ñòn 20 Hand rail Lan can 21 Hand organ Đàn hộp quay tay 22 Hand bag Xách tay 23 Hand grip Tay nắm xe ñạp 24 Hand gun Súng nhỏ 25 Handhold Cái để bíu tay 26 Hand car Xe goòng nhỏ 27 Handluggage Hành lý cầm tay 28 Handphone Điện thoại cầm tay 29 Hand rail Lan can 30 Handset Bộ đàm 31 Hand writing Chữ viết tay 32 Handkerchief Khăn mùi soa 33 Handle Cán, tay cầm 34 Handsel Quà năm 72 35 Handline Dây câu khơng có cần 36 Handtowel Khăn lau tay 37 Handdrill Cái khoan tay 38 Long hand Kim phút 39 Short hand Kim 40 Handcuff Khóa tay, xích tay Noun phrases containing the word “tay” Vietnamese English Tay áo Sleeve Tay ăn chơi Playboy Tay đao phủ Executioner Tay đua Racer Tay chèo Rower Tay ga Throttle Tay lái Steering wheel Tay nải Cloth bag 73 Tay phanh Brake lever 10 Tay nghề Professional skill 11 Tay súng Gunman Noun Phrase Containing the Word “Arm” English Vietnamese Arm of a chair Tay ghế Arm of the throne Tay ngai English Phrases Containing the Word “Leg” and its equivalents in Vietnamese English Vietnamese Leg of the chair Chân ghế Leg of the table Chân bàn 74 Leg of the the lamp Chân đèn Leg of the tripod Chân kiềng Leg of the bed Chân giường Leg of the pork Chân giò Leg of the of cauldron Chân vạc English Phrases Containing the Word “Foot” and its equivalents in Vietnamese English Vietnamese Foot of the bed Chân giường Foot of the stair Chân cầu thang Foot of the mountain Chân núi Foot of the wall Chân tường Foot of the dike Chân đê Foot of the bridge Chân cầu Foot of ladder Chân cầu thang 75 Foot of slope Chân dốc Foot of staircase Chân cầu thang 10 Foot of the wardrobe Chân tủ Noun Phrases Containing the Word “Foot” and “Chân” English Vietnamese Foot of the page Cuối trang Foot of the bed Cuối giường Foot of the tree Gốc Footnote Chú thích cuối trang Footcloth Thảm lót đường Footpage Tiểu đồng Footpath Vỉa hè Footage Cảnh phim Football Qủa bóng đá 76 10 Footboy Tiểu đồng 11 Footlight Đèn chiếu trước sân khấu 12 A lamp’s base Chân đèn 13 A tooth’s crown Chân 14 Portrait Chân dung 15 Accelerator pedal Chân ga 16 Brake pedal Chân hãm 17.Vacuum Chân không 18 Jewel Chân kính 19 Root of the hair Chân tóc 20 Chain wale Chân dây leo 21 Boatman Chân sào 22 Horizon Chân trời 23 Screw Chân vịt 77