English metaphoric expressions based on proper names = các lỗi diễn đạt ẩn dụ tiếng anh dựa trên tên riêng

English metaphor expressions based on proper names Vinh university Foreign languages department  - English metaphoric expressions based on proper names (các lối diễn đạt ẩn dụ tiếng anh dựa tên riêng) Field: Semantics Supervisor: Phan Thị Vân H-ơng, M.A Student : Phạm Quỳnh Nga Class : 45E1_English Vinh, May 2009 Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English English metaphor expressions based on proper names Acknowledgements For the completion of this thesis, I have received invaluable help from many people Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Phan Thị Vân Hương for her great assistance, constant and helpful advice on my study I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to my lecturers at the Foreign language Department, Vinh University for their help and invaluable advices during my studying time I am grateful to students of the course 45E_English for their help and support for my research thesis Finally, my warmest thanks are to my relatives and friends for encouragement and support during the time that I study Vinh, May 2009 Phạm Quỳnh Nga Table of contents Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English English metaphor expressions based on proper names Pages i ii Acknowledgements …………………………………………………… Table of contents ……………………………………………………… Part A: Introduction ………………………………………………… Rationale ……………………………………………………………… Aims of the study …………………………………………………… Methods of the study… … … … … … … … … … … … … Scope of the study …………………………………………………… Design of the study… … … … … … … … … … … … …… Part B: Development……………………………………………… Chapter 1: Theoretical background …………………………… 1.1 General view …………………………………………………… 1.1.1 Word …………………………………………………………… 1.1.2 Word Meaning…………………………………………………… 1.1.3 Semantic Change………………………………………………… 1.1.4 Narrowing of meaning…………………………………………… 1.1.5 Broadening of meaning…………………………………………… 1.1.6 The so – called “degeneration” of meaning……………………… 1.1.7 The so – called “elevation” of meaning………………………… 1.1.8 Figures of speech………………………………………………… 1.1.8.1 Metonymy……………………………………………………… 1.1.8.2 Metaphor……………………………………………………… 1.2 Metaphor and its characteristics and classification …………… 1.2.1 What is metaphor……………………………………………….… 1.2.2 Characteristics of Metaphor……………………………………… 1.2.2.1 Metaphor is the implicit form of “X is like Y in respect of Z”… 1.2.2.2 In metaphor an association may be built not only between two physical objects but also between a concrete object and an abstract concept ………………………………………………………………… 1.2.2.3 The association with the meaning is original considerably weakened and is gradually erased……………………………………… 1.2.2.4 In general, metaphor change of meaning is often observed in idiomatic compounds…………………………………………………… 1.2.2.5 Metaphor are frequently found in the informal strata of the vocabulary, especially in slang………………………………………… 1.2.3 Classification of Metaphor ……………………………………… 1.2.3.1 According to the types of similarity…………………………… 1.2.3.2 According to time ……………………………………………… 1.2.3.3 According to part of speech …………………………………… 1.2.3.4 According to the types of names……………………………… Chapter 2: A study on the English metaphoric expressions Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 1 2 4 4 8 8 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 12 12 16 17 17 20 English metaphor expressions based on proper names based on proper names…………………………………………… 2.1 English metaphors based on proper names…………………… 2.1.1 Metaphor created from eponymous words………………………… 2.1.1.1 Metaphor based on “Boycott”………………………………… 2.1.1.2 Metaphor based on “Hooligan”………………………………… 2.1.1.3 Metaphor based on “Machiavellian”…………………………… 2.1.1.4 Metaphor based on “Pander”…………………………………… 2.1.1.5 Metaphor based on “Tawdry”………………………………… 2.1.1.6 Metaphor based on “peeping Tom”…………………………… 2.1.1.7 Metaphor based on “smart Alec”……………………………… 2.1.1.8 Metaphor based on “Jack of all trades”………………………… 2.1.1.9 Metaphor based on “Philistine”………………………………… 2.1.2 Metaphors based on proper names in English idioms, proverbs and sayings……………………………………………………………… 2.1.2.1 Metaphor based on the idioms “happy as Larry”……………… 2.1.2.2 Metaphor based on the idioms “Rob Peter to pay Paul”……… 2.1.2.3 Metaphor based on the idiom “any Tom, Dick or Harry”……… 2.1.3 Metaphors in English based on characters in the literature…… … 2.1.3.1 Metaphor based on the character “Othello”…………………… 2.1.3.2 Metaphor related to the character “Don Juan”………………… 2.1.3.3 Metaphor based on the character “Hitle” ……………………… 2.1.3.4 Metaphor based on the character “Rip van Winkle”…………… 2.1.3.5 Metaphor related to “ painted Jezebel”………………………… 2.1.3.6 Metaphor based on “Billy Bunter”…………………………… 2.1.3.7 Metaphor based on “Scrooge”………………………………… 2.1.3.8 Metaphor based on “Jekyll and Hyde”………………………… 2.1.3.9 Metaphor based on “Sherlock holmes”………………………… 2.1.3.10 Metaphor based on “Tarzan”………………………………… 2.1.3.11 Metaphor based on “Little Lord Fauntleroy”………………… 2.1.3.12 Metaphor based on “Bobby”…………………………………… Chapter 3: Metaphors based on proper names in English in comparison with Vietnamese……………………… ………………… 3.1 Metaphor based on proper names in English and Vietnamese… 3.1.1 “Little Lord Fautleroy” and “Mã Giám Sinh”…………………… 3.1.2 “Scrooge” and “HuyÖn Hinh”……………………………………… 3.1.3 “Jekyll and Hyde” and “Trịnh Hâm”…………………………… 3.1.4 “Don Juan” and “Së Khanh”…………………………………… 3.1.5 “Painted Jezebel” and “ThÞ Në”…………………………………… 3.2 Difficulties in understanding and translating words related to proper names in English idioms and proverbs……………………… 3.3 Suggestions to overcome difficulties……………………………… 3.4 Some practical exercises………………………………………… Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 20 20 20 21 21 21 22 22 22 23 23 23 24 24 24 25 25 26 26 26 26 27 27 27 27 28 28 28 29 29 29 29 29 30 30 30 31 32 English metaphor expressions based on proper names Part C: Conclusion……………………………………………… 34 Recapitulations……………………………………………………… 34 Suggestions for futher studies……………………………………… 35 References……………………………………………………………… 36 Appendix………………………………………………………………… 37 Part A: Introduction Rationale Nowadays, English is the most widely used in the world and plays an important role together with the development of society and technologies English is not only the effective means of communication but also has progressive effects in many aspects of life Practically, A study on the similarities and differences between the two languages of the two countries has been one of my concerns when studying at university It is clear that there are many differences between the two languages of as those in grammar, lexicology, translation, phonetics and so on However, a plenty of similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese still exist and these can be demonstrated through metaphorical meanings especially metaphors in literature and idiom expressions This study of metaphor has been traditionally associated with the study of literature, the use of metaphor is not restricted to a language A good understanding of how metaphor is used in everyday language is not only important for English leaners to increase the vocabulary, but also to understand new and original metaphors when we use them However, what We want to express here is that idioms and proverbs are the genius of national language that is the key helps learners know more about a nation, as well as customs and culture of each country all over the world Therefore, studying metaphors related to proper names that has made a deep expression on me for a long time because, we ourself find it so interesting that the proper names not only reflect the concepts but also refer Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English English metaphor expressions based on proper names the characteristics of people and places We always wonder why the following phenomenon, for example, English expression: “He is an Othello” has an equivalent in Vietnamese : Hắn hoạn thư and many cases we cannot find any equivalent of this language’s idioms and expressions and the characters in literature, clearly, most language make use of metaphor but the way individual words used varies from one language to another and each language has its own system and that they cannot always transfer the metaphorical use of a word from one language to another Importantly, metaphors help readers see the interest, the beauty as well as the culture colour of language which helps learners use and understand correctly and clearly We hope that learners will understand about metaphors in English, especially metaphors related to proper names that is also the main reason motivating us to carry out this research Aims of the study The study aims at: + reviewing theoretical background, concerning words, word meaning and metaphor + presenting some difficulties faced by Vietnamese learners of English in terms of idioms in general and the idioms related to the proper names in particular + giving some suggested solutions to overcome these difficulties + studying metaphors based on proper names in English idioms and in literature Methods of the study The study on metaphor is not only in English idioms but also in literature related to the proper names is carried out with comparative methods with a hope that readers could see the role of metaphor in using idioms and literature from some linguists, typical examples and extracted Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English English metaphor expressions based on proper names from various types of books Besides, idioms were collected from different dictionaries to get valuable knowledge for this paper Furthermore, information related to the study from websites was also looked into in order to complete this study successfully Scope of the study During the study process, the author has been attracted by metaphor one of the figures of speech, particularly metaphors from proper names in English idioms and literature Within the scope of a graduation paper, we cannot cover a research on all types of metaphors Our main focus is metaphors from proper names Design of the study The study consists of three parts Part A: Introduction, including Rationale, Aims of the study, Methods of the study, Scope of the study, and Design of the study Part B: Development, this part is divided into three chapters Chapter 1: Background knowledge on the study It supplies the definition characteristic, classification and definition Chapter 2: An analysis of metaphor in English based on proper names Chapter 3: Metaphors based on proper names in English in comparison with Vietnamese Part C: Conclusion, it gives a summary of the whole study mentioned in the previous parts Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English English metaphor expressions based on proper names Part B: development Chapter theoretical background 1.2 General View 1.2.1 Word The English word, its structure, formation, meaning and history have become the subject matter of the linguistic science called lexicology (Hoang Tat Truong, Basic English Lexicology, 1993, p.2) Semantics or semasiology is considered one of five essential branches of lexicology According to Hoang Tat Truong (1993, p.2-4), semantics focuses on the meaning of the words (the lexical meaning) because the grammatical meaning is studied in grammar From the characteristics of semantics, we can see that words and meanings of words play an important role in language study Most fluent speakers of English seem to know what a word is They know, for example, that words are listed in dictionaries, that they are separated in writing by spaces, and that they may be separated by paused However, to give a definition of word that will apply to all types of word in English, we shall not go into a theoretical discussion of how words can best be defined Instead, we shall consider the word as an uninterruptible unit of structure consisting of one or more morphemes and which typically occurs in the structure of phrases The morphemes are the ultimate grammatical constituents, the minimal meaningful units of language For example, the different forms of the verb speak, speak, speaks, speaking, spoke, and spoken are separated words grammatically Equally, grave (noun) and grave (adjective) are different grammatical words So are the plural, the plural possessive, and the Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English English metaphor expressions based on proper names possessive of the word boy all represented by the pronunciation /b /, but spelt boys, boys’ and boy’s respectively 1.1.8 Word Meaning According to N.N Norozova (1985, p.4) the word can be considered as a unit/means of communication by its possessing a meaning Therefore, among the word’s various aspects, meaning is certainly the most important Word meaning is what a word/sentence means, i.e what the word(s) used are conventionally held to mean According to Hoang Tat Truong (1993, p.92), “meaning of a word reflects reality or expresses human conceptualization of reality, as it were” Every word combines lexical and grammatical meanings There exists a close relationship between the grammatical and the lexicon of a language The grammar of a language and its vocabulary/lexicon are complementary The vocabulary must be encoded in grammatical structure so as to operate as means of communication and as an important thought The same lexical meaning is shared by different grammatical forms of one word E.g: Careful - Carefully In this example, “careful” and “carefully” share a lexical meaning but differ in grammatical meaning The former is adjective, the later is adverb Grammatical meaning is the meaning recurrent in identical set of different words and it unites words into big groups with their own grammatical features For instance, the grammatical meaning of “chair, table, board…” is nouns Lexical meaning is the realization of concept or emotion For example, when we hear the word “dog”, our concept is realized and the image of a dog occurs to our mind According to Hoang Tat Truong (1993, p.54-57), lexical meaning is considered in terms of components and types Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English English metaphor expressions based on proper names In terms of components, lexical meaning is classified into denotational and connotational meanings - Denotational meaning denotes conceptual and referential meanings (what it refers to) It is understood by convention of members of society For instance, the word “cat” indicates a common animal with four legs, which is often kept by human beings as pets - Connotational meaning conveys the speaker’s attitude, emotion and so on It is the pragmatic communicative value the word acquires by virtue For instance, “dad” is more friendly than “father” In terms of types, lexical meaning consists of the direct meaning and the indirect meaning - Direct meaning directly denotes something without comparing it or associating it with other things We not need a context Direct meaning is also called literal meaning - Indirect meaning directly denotes something To have a better understanding it, we have to compare or associate it with other things, i.e we need a context Indirect meaning is also called figurative or transferred meaning For example: On hearing the word “skirt”, we are most likely to think of a type of clothes That is the direct meaning However we put it in the sentence “He is always running after the skirt”, the word “skirt” refers to a woman That is the indirect meaning Indirect meaning affects the use of figures of speech, such as metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole, and so on It makes languages more and more abundant 1.1.9 Semantic Change According to I.Arnold (1986, p.71), semantic changes are arbitrary They proceed in line with the logical and psychological laws of thought Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 10 English metaphor expressions based on proper names 2.1.2 Metaphors based on proper names in English idioms, proverbs and sayings Metaphors are not only created from eponymous words but also from the idioms, sayings and proverbs, and there are many proper names using in the idioms and proverbs, in order to study more metaphor idioms, sayings and proverbs clearly relating to the proper names, we will research the following situations 2.1.2.1 Metaphor based on the idioms “happy as Larry” The idiom “happy as Larry” here is used to metaphorically to refer to extremly happy E.g “She is happy as Larry” www.usingenglish.com This means the degree of emotion “great happy” the word “Larry” was named after in Australia or New Zealand and dated from around 1875 It has been suggested that it comes from the name of the Australia boxer Larry Foley who won a lot of contests 2.1.2.2 Metaphor based on the idioms “Rob Peter to pay Paul” “Robbing Peter to pay Paul” is an English idiom referring to taking money from one party to pay one's debt to another The expression refers to times before the reformation when Church taxes had to be paid to Saint Paul's church in London and to Saint Peter's church in Rome: it refers likeliest to neglecting the Peter tax to get money to pay the Paul tax A modern example is check kiting, the idiom “Rob Peter to pay Paul” is used to metaphorically refer to taking away from one person in order to give to another E.g “He is a rob Peter to pay Paul” www.usingenglish.com Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 27 English metaphor expressions based on proper names 2.1.2.3 Metaphor based on the idiom “any Tom, Dick or Harry” Tom, Dick, and Harry are evoked by names of the characters in the play "The Verge" by Susan Glaspell The phrase "Tom, Dick and Harry" is a placeholder (Placeholder names are words that can refer to objects or people whose names are either irrelevant or unknown in the context in which it is being discussed) for multiple unspecified people, "Tom, Dick or Harry" plays the same role for one unspecified person The phrase most commonly occurs as "every Tom, Dick and Harry" with meaning of “everyone”, and "any Tom, Dick or Harry" with meaning of “anyone” E.g “He won’t talk to any Tom, Dick or Harry” Thomas (2002:114) 2.1.3 Metaphors in English based on characters in the literature There are a lot of metaphors come from characters in literature based on their behaviour and characteristics In order to know metaphors related to proper names in the literature, it is essential to take the following examples into account 2.1.3.1 Metaphor based on the character “Othello” The Tragedy of Othello, The Moore of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare written around 1603 The play is a concentrated, tightly-constructed domestic tragedy with almost no sub-plot relief, revolting around five or six central characters Othello’s ill-placed trust in the villain Iago results in his growing suspicion in his wife Desdemona’s infidelity with his lieutenant Cassio, leading to the ultimate tragedy Othello is commonly considered to be one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, and one of his finest works English people take the image of “Othello”, a well- known character in the play of Shakespeare to refer to a jealous person E.g “ He is an Othello” Truong (1993:80) Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 28 English metaphor expressions based on proper names 2.1.3.2 Metaphor related to the character “Don Juan” Don Juan is a character who has bad behaviour and always flirts beautiful girls anywhere he goes, Don Juan now becomes a metaphor used to refer to any person who has similar characteristic “He is a Don Juan” E.g Truong (1993:80) 2.1.3.3 Metaphor based on the character “Hitle” The word “Hitle” is from the name of the shogun who was very cruel He killed a lot of people in the second World War Therefore, the word “Hitle” is used to indicate any person who is cruel “He is a Hitle” E.g Thu (2006:12) 2.1.3.4 Metaphor based on the character “Rip van Winkle” Rip van Winkle is the name of the happy-go-lucky character in a story by Washington Irving (The Sketch book,1820) who takes refuse from his scolding wife by taking a ramble in the Catskill Mountains north-west of New York, falls asleep after drinking too much and awakens twenty years later to find things have changed So if someone is a Rip van Winkle they are behind the times and out of touch with what is happening now E.g “They are Rip van Winkle” www.usingenglish.com 2.1.3.5 Metaphor related to “ Painted Jezebel” The name Jezebel has come down through the centuries to be used as a general name for wicked women Her Biblical account in Kings I and Kings II shows her as a scheming, manipulative woman and the epitome of evil In modern usage, the name of Jezebel is used to refer to any shameless, immoral, scheming woman E.g “She is a painted Jezebel” www.usingenglish.com Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 29 English metaphor expressions based on proper names 2.1.3.6 Metaphor based on “Billy Bunter” Billy Bunter is a character in a story by Frank Richards who always eats something Billy Bunter is now used to refer to any person who has similar characteristic E.g “I think Alan should go on a diet and get more exercise He is beginning to look like Billy Bunter” Thomas (2002:113) Billy Bunter is a fat schoolboy who always eats something 2.1.3.7 Metaphor based on “Scrooge” E.g “Come on! I’ve never met anyone so reluctant to spend money, you Scrooge” Thomas (2002:113) Scrooge is used to metaphorically refer to a very mean person who has similar characteristics as a character in Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 2.1.3.8 Metaphor based on “Jekyll and Hyde” E.g “He’s got a Jekyll and Hyde” Thomas (2002:113) Jekyll and Hyde is a man with two contrasting personalities, one gentle and one murderous in a novel by R L Stevenson 2.1.3.9 Metaphor based on “Sherlock holmes” E.g “How on earth did you guess his nationality, occupation and all those other things about him just from his appearance? You’re a proper Sherlock holmes” Thomas (2002:113) Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant and shrewd man He is private detective in novels by Conan Doyle He solved many complicated murders Therefore, Sherlock Holmes is used to metaphorically refer to a brilliant man Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 30 English metaphor expressions based on proper names 2.1.3.10 Metaphor based on “Tarzan” Tarzan is name of a character in a story by Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan is used to metaphorically refer to a body-builder and weight-lifter E.g “He looks like Tarzan” Thomas (2002:114) 2.1.3.11 Metaphor based on “Little Lord Fauntleroy” “Little Lord Fauntlero” is a elegantly-dressed little boy in a novel by F H Burnett E.g “I think the neighbours’ kids should be allowed a bit of freedom to wear what they like and get dirty having fun, not made to look like Little Lord Fauntleroy” Thomas (2002:114) The word “Little Lord Fauntleroy” is used to metaphorically refer to any one who is very elegantly-dressed 2.1.3.12 Metaphor based on “Bobby” The name “Bobby” comes from Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the first London police force The word “bobby” is now used to metaphorically refer to a British policeman E.g “He is a bobby” Thomas (2002:118) In summary, there are a large number of metaphors based on proper names However, due to the scope of our study, we only focus on several English idioms on typical proper names, and characters in literature We hope that this study is hoped to help learners of English understand more about metaphorical expressions in English based on proper names Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 31 English metaphor expressions based on proper names chapter metaphors based on proper names in english in comparison with Vietnames 3.1 Metaphor based on proper names in English and Vietnamese There are a lot of similar cases of using proper names in English and Vietnamese Proper names are used in similar cases in English and we also find their equivalents in Vietnamese 3.1.1 “Little Lord Fautleroy” and “Mã Giám Sinh” “Little Lord Fautleroy”, the name of an elegantly-dressed chacracter in Little Lord Fauntleroy novel, the first children's novel written by EnglishAmerican playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnetthe “Little Lord Fautleroy” is quivalent to “Mã Giám Sinh” in Vietnamese, the name of a rude, cunning character in “Kiều” story by Nguyen Du are both used metaphorically to refer to a person who is rude, cunning, and elegantlydressed E.g “He is little Lord Fautleroy” www.usingenglish.com “Tiên sư thằng già, toàn đồ Mã Giám Sinh” Thanh (1998:30) 3.1.2 “Scrooge” and “HuyÖn Hinh” The name of “Scrooge”, a character in Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is used metaphorically to imply a person who is very mean In Vietnamese, “Huyện Hinh”, the name of a character in the story “Đồng hào có ma” by Nguyen Cong Hoan is used metaphorically with the same purpose E.g “Come on! I’ve never met anyone so reluctant to spend money, you Scrooge” Thomas (2002:113) In “Vớ phải ông hà tiện” article in the website www.vietbao.vn E.g “Mày làm Huyện Hinh vợ mày bỏ phải” www.vietbao.vn Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 32 English metaphor expressions based on proper names 3.1.3 “Jekyll and Hyde” and “Trịnh Hâm” The name of “Jekyll and Hyde”, a character in a novel by R.L Stevenson is used to refer to a man with two contrasting personalities, one gentle and one murderous In Vietnamese, “Trịnh Hâm”, the name of character in story Lục Vân Tiên by Nguyen Dinh Chieu used metaphorically with the same purpose E.g “He is got a Jekyll and Hyde” www.usingenglish.com 3.1.4 “Don Juan” and “Së Khanh” E.g “He is a Don Juan” Truong (1993:90) E.g “Niềm vui xuất giá chưa tơi phát rằng: chồng gã Sở Khanh” www.xaluan.com If the name of “Don Juan” refers to a character who has bad behaviour and a love of many women, the character in the story “Kiều”-Sở Khanh is also a person who always flirts and deceives many women 3.1.5 “Painted Jezebel” and “ThÞ Në” E.g “She is a Painted Jezebel” Thomas (2002:114) E.g “Đã xấu lại cịn trơ trẽn, Thị Nở” Levy (1996:54) “Painted Jezebel” has an equivalent with a character in “ChÝ phÌo” story by Nam Cao, “Thị Nở” which has the same appearance such as ugly and particularly attractive In short, metaphorical proper names are used differently in two languages and cultures Therefore, in order to understand and know the Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 33 English metaphor expressions based on proper names metaphors related to proper names, we will learn more knowledge not only from school but also from many books 3.2 Difficulties in understanding and translating words related to proper names in English idioms and proverbs Learners are likely to meet troubles in translating metaphors based on proper names in Vietnamese or finding Vietnamese equivalents because each nation has its own system of language, geographical circumstances, national and social condition as well as the development levels of society, which together form different national characteristics and culture Therefore, together with the same thought and awareness, each language has different expression, addition to Vietnamese and English people have their own expressions and different ways to understand the idioms related to the proper names It is due to different cultures between two countries to refer to the characteristic of jealous person the English people take the image of “ He is an Othello”, while the Vietnamese people take the image of “H¾n đồ Hoạn th- and so forth Studying further proper names, I can see these differences in culture, for instance if Vietnamese people often say that the characteristic of greedy person is “Tr- b¸t giíi” but the English people will say that “Billy Bunter” To sum up, in English, meanings of the proper names are often different from word-for-word translation, furthermore, each of proper names is used in a specific context Hence, it is not always easy for leaners to understand all of them 3.3 Suggestions to overcome difficulties With these difficulties mentioned above, learners of English need spend time studying English idioms seriously and improving their knowledge of both English and Vietnamese culture as well as habits of reading more books, novels or short stories and collecting English idioms, Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 34 English metaphor expressions based on proper names then learning the exact meaning of idioms Metaphoric images play an important role not only comprehension in idioms but also characters in literature So that, it is easy to learn and understand metaphor related to the proper names by putting these proper names in specific contexts and making sentences related to proper names It helps to memorize both proper names and idioms related to the once Importantly, it is found that metaphor is one of the main parts of lexicology, especially in the folklore of idioms and expressions, this is both interesting and difficult to approach we hope that we will have chances to study about this as a saying goes “study, study more, study forever” These following exercises may help leaners practise: 3.4 Some practical exercises Exercise 1: Choose the names of characters in popular fiction which best completes each sentences During the war He was sent on dangerous secret missions aboard Very exciting! He was a sort of A Big Brother C James Bond B Peter Pan D Scoorge There are times when most of us would like to escape from all the pressures of city life and live a more simple, basic kind of _ existence A Othello C Hitle B Robinson Crusoe D Iack He’s not very practical What he needs is someone to look after him and everything for him He needs a A Man Friday C Claude B Adam D Glen Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 35 English metaphor expressions based on proper names Well, yes he was a criminal and he stole a lot of money, but he helped a lot of people with it He was a bit of a A Leo C Superman B Martin D Robin Hood He still has very youthful enthusiasms, and he’s as slim and fit as he was 20 years ago He’s a _ A Victor C Mandy B Peter Pan D William The film is doing very badly and facing bankruptcy I don’t think it can survive We don’t just want a new director We want a _ A Walter Mitty C Superman B Tony D Tarzan I think Alan should go on a diet and get more exercise He’s beginning to look like _ A Billy Bunter C Robert B Rupert D Man Friday Come on! I’ve never met anyone so reluctant to spend money, you _ A Othello C Vincent B Scrooge D Rex Come on, wake up! It’s nearly lunch-time A Pip Van Winkle C John B Tarzan D Paul 10 He’s a body-builder and weight-lifter Have you seen him a swimsuit? He looks like _ A Tarzan C Oliver B Robinson Crusoe D Noel Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 36 English metaphor expressions based on proper names Exercise 2: Match up the definition on the left (1-5) with the correct proper names on the right (a-e) Very elegantly-dressed little boy in novel by F.H.Burnett Man with two contrasting a Cinderella b Jekyll and Hyde c Lord Fauntleroy personalities, one gentle and one d Man Friday murderous, in novel by R.L e Big brother Stevenson Girl in a fairy-tale who is treated as slave by her family Sinister dictator figure in totalitarian state in George Orwell’s Novel 1984 All-purpose servant of Robinson Crusoe Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 37 English metaphor expressions based on proper names PART C CONCLUSION Recapitulations One of rhetorical methods that is widely used in proper names is metaphor It plays an important role in making the meaning of not only idioms but also characters in novels more figurative and vivid Being aware of its importance, I decided to analyze metaphors in English idioms and eponymous related to the proper names In chapter 1, a general theoretical background of metaphor has been presented, which helps people make sense of the role of metaphor In chapter 2, a series of English metaphors related to the proper names were analyzed and illustrated by examples that help learners improve their knowledge of metaphors from proper names in general and metaphors from proper names in English in particular Furthermore, English metaphors from proper names have been presented with Vietnamese equivalents They provide learners with a better understanding of the culture of the two countries In the final chapter, English metaphors related to proper names have been presented with Vietnamese equivalent and difsficulties that Vietnamese learners often face with when studying English idioms and proper names are also pointed out By studying some suggested solutions, learners can choose the effective ways or methods to learn English idiom related to proper names This chapter ends with some types of exercises as samples to give learners chances to practise using it In short, I have summed up what have been mentioned in my research paper with a hope that learners of English will get benefits from this study to learn English metaphors related to proper names better Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 38 English metaphor expressions based on proper names Suggestions for futher studies As mentioned in the Scope of the study, we only focused on metaphors based on proper names in idioms and literature During the course of our reseach, we have found interesting related issues that can be good topics for further studies Following are some of them: - Metaphor expressions based on parts of human body in idioms - Metaphorical expressions in a literary work (e.g The Thorn Birds) - Metaphorical expressions based on the identification of colour Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 39 English metaphor expressions based on proper names References Books: Hornby, A.S (1990) Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary of Current English Thomas, B.J (2002) Advanced Vocabulary & Idiom Soars, J & Liz (1995) Headway Student’s Book O’Dell, M.Mc.C F (1995) English Vocabulary in Use Cambridge: CUP Thoa, N Y T (2005) Assignment on Language and Culture in Contact Hanoi: Vietnam National University- Hanoi Truong, H T, (1993) Basic English Lexicology Hanoi: National University College of Foreign language English-Vietnamese Dictionary (1993) HCM city: HCMP Hatch, E & Brown, C Vocabulary, Semantics and Language Education Cambridge: CUP Thanh, N T, (1998) Mùa Xuân Nấc Thầm HCM city: YPH 10 Levy, M, (1996) Nếu Em Không Phải Một Giấc Mơ Hanoi: WH Websites: 1.http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org 2.http://www.educationphauner.com/education-plauner/eaasy-artideaps) 3.http://www.expression&sayings.com 4.http:// www.usingenglish.com 5.http://www.wikipedia.com 6.http://www.wordnet.princeton.edu/per/webn 7.http://www.dongcong.net 8.http://www.xaluan.com Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 40 English metaphor expressions based on proper names Appendix Keys to exercises: Ex1: Ex 2: 1.C 1.C 2.B 2.B 3.A 3.A 4.D 4.E 5.B 5.D 6.C 7.A 8.B 9.A 10.A Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1_English 41 ... expressions in English based on proper names Pham Quynh Nga, K45E1 _English 31 English metaphor expressions based on proper names chapter metaphors based on proper names in english in comparison with... proper names Chapter A study on the metaphoric expressions based on proper names in english 2.1 English metaphors based on proper names English metaphors based on the proper names are so various and... K45E1 _English 26 English metaphor expressions based on proper names 2.1.2 Metaphors based on proper names in English idioms, proverbs and sayings Metaphors are not only created from eponymous