A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)

A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)A Cognitive Study of Metaphors Based on Human Senses in English and Vietnamese (Luận án tiến sĩ)

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG

TRẦN THỊ THÙY OANH

A COGNITIVE STUDY OF METAPHORS BASED

ON HUMAN SENSES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

DOCTORAL THESIS

IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

Danang - 2018

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG

TRẦN THỊ THÙY OANH

A COGNITIVE STUDY OF METAPHORS BASED

ON HUMAN SENSES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

Major: English Linguistics Code: 62.22.02.01

DOCTORAL THESIS

IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

Supervisors: 1 Dr Trần Quang Hải

2 Prof Dr Nguyễn Văn Hiệp

Danang - 2018

i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution

Danang, January 2018

Tran Thi Thuy Oanh

ii

ABSTRACT

The thesis studies English and Vietnamese conceptual metaphors based on the five

basic human senses namely vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste The study uses the

descriptive, analytic, synthetic, qualitative, quantitative, comparative, contrastive, deductive and inductive methods The research finds out 19 conceptual metaphors from setting up the mappings or sets of correspondences between the source domains and target domains for each sense with the explanation in each situation At the same time, this work points out the similarities and differences between the two languages Most of conceptual metaphors can be found in both languages, but some are unique to Vietnamese or English The study also examines source domains sharing target domains Moreover, the “cross-expressions” between human senses in expressing language are also clarified The study suggests the implications for teaching, learning and translating English in the view of cognitive linguistics in general and conceptual metaphor theory in particular

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

ABSTRACT ii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF TABLES……….viii

LIST OF FIGURES x

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aims of the Study 3

1.3 Objectives of the Study 4

1.4 Research Questions 4

1.5 Scope of the Study 4

1.6 Significance of the Study 6

1.7 Organization of the Study 6

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Cognitive Linguistics 8

2.1.1 The concepts of Cognitive Linguistics 8

2.1.2 Main tenets in Cognitive Linguistics 10

2.2 Conceptual Metaphor 11

2.2.1 The views of Conceptual Metaphor 11

2.2.2 Related concepts 15

2.2.2.1 Conceptual domain 15

2.2.2.2 Source domain 16

2.2.2.3 Target domain 16

2.2.2.4 Mappings 16

2.2.2.5 Conceptualization 18

2.3 Human senses 19

2.3.1 The concepts of human senses 19

2.3.2 Vision 20

v

2.3.3 Hearing 21

2.3.4 Touch 22

2.3.5 Smell 23

2.3.6 Taste 23

2.4 Metaphor in literature 24

2.5 Related research 25

2.5.1 A general review 25

2.5.2 The typical related works in English 28

2.5.2.1 The work of Lakoff and Johnson 28

2.5.2.2 The work of Sweetser 29

2.5.2.3 The work of Ibarretxe-Antuñano 30

2.5.2.4 The work of Kövecses 31

2.5.3 The typical related works in Vietnamese 33

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 36

3.1 Data collection and analysis 36

3.1.1 Data collection 36

3.1.2 Data analysis 41

3.2 Metaphor identification……… ………43

3.3 Methods of the Study 45

3.3.1 Descriptive method 45

3.3.2 Analytic and synthetic methods 45

3.3.3 Qualitative and quantitative methods 46

3.3.4 Comparative and contrastive methods 46

3.3.5 Deductive and inductive methods 46

3.4 Summary 47

CHAPTER 4 CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS BASED ON HUMAN SENSES IN ENGLISH 49

4.1 Conceptual metaphors based on vision 49

4.1.1 AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS VISION 49

4.1.2 HUMAN EMOTION IS VISION 53

4.1.3 MEETING IS VISION 56

4.1.4 JUDGMENT IS VISION 57

vi

4.2 Conceptual metaphors based on hearing 59

4.2.1 AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS HEARING 59

4.2.2 GETTING INFORMATION IS HEARING 62

4.2.3 HUMAN EMOTION IS HEARING 63

4.3 Conceptual metaphors based on touch 65

4.3.1 AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS TOUCH 65

4.3.2 HUMAN EMOTION IS TOUCH 67

4.4 Conceptual metaphors based on smell 69

4.4.1 AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS SMELL 69

4.4.2 INTEREST IS SMELL 71

4.4.3 EXPERIENCE IS SMELL 73

4.5 Conceptual metaphors based on taste 74

4.5.1 LANGUAGE IS TASTE 75

4.5.2 EXPERIENCE IS TASTE 75

4.6 Summary 76

CHAPTER 5 CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS BASED ON HUMAN SENSES IN VIETNAMESE 79

5.1 Conceptual metaphors based on vision 79

5.1.1 AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS VISION 80

5.1.2 HUMAN EMOTION IS VISION 86

5.1.3 MEETING IS VISION 91

5.1.4 JUDGMENT IS VISION 92

5.2 Conceptual metaphors based on hearing 94

5.2.1 AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS HEARING 95

5.2.2 GETTING INFORMATION IS HEARING 97

5.2.3 HUMAN EMOTION IS HEARING 99

5.3 Conceptual metaphors based on touch 101

5.3.1 AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS TOUCH 101

5.3.2 HUMAN EMOTION IS TOUCH 104

5.4 Conceptual metaphors based on smell 105

5.4.1 AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS SMELL 105

5.4.2 EXPERIENCE IS SMELL 106

vii

5.4.3 HUMAN EMOTION IS SMELL 107

5.4.4 JUDGMENT IS SMELL 108

5.5 Conceptual metaphors based on taste 109

5.5.1 LANGUAGE IS TASTE 110

5.5.2 EXPERIENCE IS TASTE 111

5.5.3 HUMAN EMOTION IS TASTE 111

5.5.4 THING IS TASTE 113

5.5.5 HUMAN IS TASTE 113

5.6 Summary 115

CHAPTER 6 A CROSS-LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS 118

6.1 Comparison and contrast between conceptual metaphors based on human senses in English and Vietnamese 118

6.1.1 Vision 118

6.1.2 Hearing 120

6.1.3 Touch 121

6.1.4 Smell 122

6.1.5 Taste 123

6.1.6 “Cross-expressions” between human senses 124

6.1.7 Summary 126

6.2 Source domains sharing target domains.……… ……… 128

6.2.1 Vision, Hearing, Touch, Smell - An Intellectual Activity 128

6.2.2 Vision, Hearing, Touch, Smell, Taste - Human Emotion 131

6.2.3 Vision, Hearing - Judgment 133

6.2.4 Summary 134

6.3 Chapter summary 134

CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION 141

7.1 Concluding remarks 141

7.2 Implications from the results 143

7.3 Limitations of the study and suggestions for further research 144

REFERENCES

SOURCES OF DATA

viii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1: The entities and sensory activities of the five basic HSs in English and

Vietnamese 5

Table 2.1: Mappings for the LIFE IS A JOURNEY metaphor 17

Table 2.2: Extremities of the five basic human senses 19

Table 4.1: Mappings for the AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS VISION conceptual metaphor 49

Table 4.2: Mappings for the HUMAN EMOTION IS VISION conceptual metaphor 54

Table 4.3: Mappings for the MEETING IS VISION conceptual metaphor 56

Table 4.4: Mappings for the JUDGMENT IS VISION conceptual metaphor 57

Table 4.5: Distribution of CMs based on vision in English 58

Table 4.6: Mappings for the AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS HEARING conceptual metaphor……… 60

Table 4.7: Mappings for the GETTING INFORMATION IS HEARING conceptual metaphor 62

Table 4.8: Mappings for the HUMAN EMOTION IS HEARING conceptual metaphor 63 Table 4.9: Distribution of CMs based on hearing in English 64

Table 4.10: Mappings for the AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS TOUCH conceptual metaphor 65

Table 4.11: Mapping for the HUMAN EMOTION IS TOUCH conceptual metaphor 68

Table 4.12: Distribution of CMs based on touch in English 69

Table 4.13: Mappings for the AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY IS SMELL conceptual metaphor 70

Table 4.14: Mapping for the INTEREST IS SMELL conceptual metaphor 72

Table 4.15: Mapping for the EXPERIENCE IS SMELL conceptual metaphor 73

Table 4.16: Distribution of CMs based on smell in English 74

Table 4.17: Mappings for the LANGUAGE IS TASTE conceptual metaphor 75

Table 4.18: Mappings for the EXPERIENCE IS TASTE conceptual metaphor 76

Table 4.19: Distribution of CMs based on taste in English 76

Table 4.20: Distribution of CMs based on HSs in English 77

ix

Table 5.1: Distribution of CMs based on vision in Vietnamese 94

Table 5.2: Distribution of CMs based on hearing in Vietnamese 100

Table 5.3: Distribution of conceptual metaphors based on touch in Vietnamese 104

Table 5.4: Mapping for the HUMAN EMOTION IS SMELL conceptual metaphor 107

Table 5.5: Mapping for the JUDGMENT IS SMELL conceptual metaphor 108

Table 5.6: Distribution of CMs based on smell in Vietnamese 109

Table 5.7: Mapping for the HUMAN EMOTION IS TASTE conceptual metaphor 112

Table 5.8: Mapping for the THING IS TASTE conceptual metaphor 113

Table 5.9: Mapping for the HUMAN IS TASTE conceptual metaphor 113

Table 5.10: Distribution of CMs based on taste in Vietnamese 114

Table 5.11: Distribution of CMs based on HSs in Vietnamese 115

Table 6.1: Comparison and contrast between CMs based on vision in English and Vietnamese 119

Table 6.2: Comparison and contrast between CMs based on hearing in English and Vietnamese 120

Table 6.3: Comparison and contrast between CMs based on touch in English and Vietnamese 121

Table 6.4: Comparison and contrast between CMs based on smell in English and Vietnamese 122

Table 6.5: Comparison and contrast between CMs based on taste in English and Vietnamese 123

Table 6.6: Comparison and contrast between CMs based on HSs in English and Vietnamese……… 127

Table 6.7: Source domains share the target domain AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY 130

Table 6.8: Source domains share the target domain HUMAN EMOTION 133

Table 6.9: Source domains share the target domain JUDGMENT 134

Table 6.10: Comparison and contrast between CM based on HSs in English and Vietnamese 137

x

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1: The structure of perception metaphors 30

Figure 2.2: A new model for perception verbs 31

Figure 3.1: Accounting the expressions by the function of the excel software 40

Figure 3.2: The folder of expressions based on vision 41

Figure 3.3: Extract of the OALD for the word ‘see’ 41

Figure 3.4: Extract of the VD for the word ‘ngọt ngào’ 62

Figure 6.1: “Cross-expressions” between human senses in Vietnamese 126

Figure 6.2: Source domains share the target domain AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY 128

Figure 6.3: Source domains share the target domain HUMAN EMOTION 131

Figure 6.4: Source domains share the target domain JUDGMENT 133

Figure 6.5: Distribution of ME based on HSs in English 135

Figure 6.6: Distribution of ME based on HSs in Vietnamese 135

Figure 6.7: Distribution of CM based on HSs in English and Vietnamese 136

Figure 6.8: Distribution of similarity and difference of CMs of HSs in English and Vietnamese 139

1

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

According to the cognitive approach, linguistic knowledge is considered cognition and thinking Human beings use knowledge and experience of things and events they have and know well to transfer to those other ones in so unfamiliar or abstract concepts, especially in the case of metaphors Notably, in 1980, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson first extensively explored this theory by atypical work

Metaphors We Live By (revised in 2003) which has become popular with linguistic

works around the world in recent years It is said that the human conceptual system

is “fundamentally metaphorical in nature” (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, p 3)

In the view of traditional concepts, metaphor is a linguistic phenomenon with artistic and rhetoric purpose, based the similarities between two objects, used

by talented people or for special effects (Kövecses, 2010) However, it has been challenged deeply in the light of CL According to Lakoff and Johnson (1980),

“metaphor is a property of concepts, and not of words; the function of metaphor is

to better understand certain concepts, and not just some artistic or esthetic purpose” (cited in Kövecses, 2010, p 10) Lakoff and Johnson (1980) also defined that

“metaphor is often not based on similarity; metaphor is used effortlessly in everyday life by ordinary people, not just by special talented people; and metaphor, far from being a superfluous though pleasing linguistic ornament, is an inevitable process of human thought and reasoning” (cited by Kövecses, 2010, p 10) In fact,

2

“metaphor is defined as understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another conceptual domain” and called “conceptual metaphor” (Kövecses, 2010, p 4) Our conceptual system is highly metaphorical, “the way we think, what we experience, and what we do everyday is very much a matter of metaphor” (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, p 4) In other words, in the view of CL, “metaphor is fundamental

to language and cognition in that it represents and records how people conceptualize their experiences, attitudes and practices” (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980,

p 3) Lakoff (1987) shows that metaphor is conceptual in nature, and its mappings are regarded as conventional mental mechanisms and experientially motivated It allows us to “understand ourselves and our world in ways that no other modes of thought can” (Lakoff & Turner, 1989, p xi) Our own bodies are used as an ideal reference point to describe or refer to something related Kövecses (2002) defines that “although our thoughts have to be done by systematic metaphorical mapping, a common target domain is the human mind and “being such an abstract concept, it is not surprising we employ metaphors for better comprehension” (p 21)

Generally speaking, there have been many cognitive linguistic researches on metaphors based on human body parts in the world This is understandable; because human body parts are very specific, very close to our lives and our understanding We take ourselves to imagine the world, reflect the development path of our awareness by expressing ideas from concrete to abstract By talking, working, and getting feelings with the changes we experience, we receive knowledge of parts of our body According to Kövecses (2010), “the human body

is an ideal source domain, since, for us, it is clearly delineated and (we believe) we know it well This does not mean that we make use of all aspects of this domain in metaphorically understanding abstract targets” (p 18) Thus, many researches focus on conceptual metaphors based on body parts such as the head, hands, stomach or conceptual metaphors of emotion, love and so on However, there are still not any works of conceptual metaphors based on human senses in detail, especially in English compared and contrasted with Vietnamese Actually, every

3

day we have to look with our eyes, hear with our ears, smell through our nose, taste with our tongue, and touch things around us by hand Through the five basic

human senses of vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste, we experience the world

surrounding us and express what we get with language For instance, the SEEING

IS TOUCHING metaphor, one of examples described in Kövecses’s (2010) work,

is based on the set of correspondences like ‘take someone’s eyes off of someone’,

‘avoiding eye contact’, ‘undressing someone with one’s eyes’ Obviously, these expressions include a context For example, the expression ‘take someone’s eyes off

of someone’ in “He couldn’t take his eyes off of her” is expressed at work It

generates the social practice Thus, according to Kövecses’s (2010), this is “a conceptual metaphor “real” in everyday social practice” (p 71) Actually, using human senses for expressing language is extremely various that can cause the misunderstanding for language users, especially people using English as a second language in Vietnam

Consequently, we would like to conduct a study entitled “A cognitive study

of metaphors based on human senses in English and Vietnamese” by doing a

comparative and contrastive analysis with the aim of being an essential study and significance in linguistics

1.2 Aims of the Study

This thesis aims to extend the later semantic concepts of conceptual metaphors drawing from cognitive linguistic concepts that are relevant and viable

to the study through tracking its history and development Specifically, by analysing the metaphorical expressions based on the five basic human senses in English and Vietnamese, this thesis will find out the mappings between concrete domains and more abstract conceptual domains for setting up the conceptual metaphors The study will also be an examination of the cross-linguistic potential through comparing and contrasting them At the same time, the study has a goal to have a closer look on the universality of such models within the source domain of the five basic human senses of vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste as well as to

4

find which patterns are unique for conceptual metaphors in each language In particular, the study will point out which source domains share target domains and the “cross-expressions” between these senses

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are identifying conceptual metaphors based on the five basic human senses in English and Vietnamese in the view of conceptual metaphor theory to find out the similarities and differences between them through the data collected from the later novels and short stories in these two languages In addition, by approaching the concepts of human senses, the embodied experience

of individuals is expressed clearly Additionally, a wide range of metaphors, largely

of equivalent meanings are found in both languages

1.4 Research Questions

The study aims to answer the following research questions:

(1) Which conceptual metaphors based on the five basic human senses are constructed in English and Vietnamese?

(2) In what aspects do English and Vietnamese share the same or different conceptual metaphors based on the five basic human senses?

(3) Which source domains share target domains in English and Vietnamese? (4) What are the “cross-expressions” between the five basic human senses?

1.5 Scope of the Study

For the sake of the thesis, we deliberately limit the study to the basic and

primary senses of human: vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste through

metaphorical expressions which are derived from English and Vietnamese novels and short stories published during the year 2000 to the present Because of time, space as well as knowledge limitations, this analysis focuses on the semantic features in details in terms of these five basic human senses, which are considered

as source domains, with their entities and activities listed in the table 1.1 below

Vision eyes seeing, looking,

To avoid misunderstanding source domains with their sensory words, in the view of CL, they are capitalized: VISION, HEARING, TOUCH, SMELL, TASTE and are discussed in the such same order in the analysis chapters four, five and six

6

1.6 Significance of the Study

Theoretically, the study supplements some more illustrative evidence from English and Vietnamese to the original theory of metaphors in the view of Cognitive Linguistics

Practically, the study provides a systematic description, analysis, comparison and contrast of the conceptual metaphors based on the five classical human senses

in English and Vietnamese in the light of Conceptual Metaphor Theory The study has found 19 conceptual metaphors constructed in both languages The study has also proved the share of the conceptual metaphors based on the five basic human senses between English and Vietnamese conclusively Notably, the thesis has found out the source domains which share the target domains in the conceptual metaphors

as well as the “cross-expressions” of the five basic human senses in expressing language In addition, the explanations for those situations have been given to make clear the determining elements of linguistics

Generally, the study surely assists teachers, students and translators of English and Vietnamese in teaching and learning languages as well as in their works

1.7 Organization of the Study

The thesis consists of seven chapters:

Chapter 1 – Introduction - briefly introduces what would be done in the

thesis, giving readers an overview of the study in stating the rationale, aims, objectives, scope, research questions, significance and organization of the study

Chapter 2 – Literature review - This chapter first presents the related

concepts about cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphor and definitions of conceptual domain, source domain, target domain, mapping, conceptualization used

in the study Besides, the concepts of five human senses: vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste are also shown Next, the related research in English and Vietnamese will be reviewed to end the chapter

7

Chapter 3 – Research Methodology - This chapter presents the

methodology to study, to collect the data and explains the frame to analyse the data

as well the identification of metaphor

Chapter 4 – Conceptual metaphors based on human senses in English -

This chapter focuses on the present and analysis of conceptual metaphors based on five human senses in English from finding the mappings set up from these metaphorical expressions

Chapter 5 – Conceptual metaphors based on human senses in

Vietnamese - This chapter focuses on the present and analysis of conceptual

metaphors based on five human senses in Vietnamese from finding the mappings set up from these metaphorical expressions

Chapter 6 – A cross-linguistic analysis - This chapter focuses on the

comparative and contrastive analysis of conceptual metaphors based on the five basic human senses in English and Vietnamese It intends to formulate explanations for the similarities and differences found This chapter also clarifies the aspects in sharing the conceptual metaphors, the source domains sharing target domains, and the “cross-expressions” of these five senses

Chapter 7 – Conclusion - This part synthesizes the findings of the study,

gives implications for teaching, learning and translating English for Vietnamese teachers, learners and translators as well as a suggestion for further researches

8

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

To give a theoretical context to the historical discussion as well as review related research to metaphors in the view of CL, this chapter first overviews Cognitive Linguistics and Conceptual Metaphor Theory for a relevant and viable basement forming the basis of the theoretical framework adopted in the present study The concepts of metaphors in the view of cognitive perspectives are presented, including concepts and definitions drawn from cognitive perspective and conceptual metaphor frameworks such as source domain, target domain, mapping, and conceptualization Next, we will make clear the concepts of the five basic human senses typically concentrating on vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste considered as five source domains in this study for emphasizing the various aspects

of sensory experience The chapter ends with the recent related research on conceptual metaphors, especially on conceptual metaphors based on body parts

2.1 Cognitive Linguistics

2.1.1 The concepts of Cognitive Linguistics

Having emerged in the early 1970s, “Cognitive linguistics (CL) is the school

of linguistics within cognitive science that conceives language creation, learning and usage as a part of a larger psychological theory of how humans understand the world” (Jackendoff, 2007 p 192) According to Evans and Green (2006), “CL is a modern school of linguistic thought with formal approaches to language” (p 5) It advocates three principal positions: It denies the existence of an autonomous linguistic faculty in the mind; It understands linguistic phenomena in terms of conceptualization; It claims that language knowledge arises out of language use (Evans, et al., 2007) CL also argues that storage and retrieval of linguistic knowledge does not have to be fundamentally different from the storage and retrieval of other knowledge It concentrates on the semantics in terms of mental spaces instead of in terms of models of the world as assumed by the objectivists

Luận án đủ ở file: Luận án full