Significant container metaphors are derived from the internal reasoning of the container image schema. The basis was noticed by Lakoff (1999), then be widen with more definitions of container by Ruiz de Mendoza (1996, cited in Cervel and Ibỏủez, 2008).
By the model of conceptual metaphor Abstract entity or emotional status is container, the two sides (e) and (f) of theory container, proposed by Ruiz de Mendoza (1996, cited in Cervel and Ibỏủez, 2008), have relationship with the classification. The (e) shows that the inside of container, in this case is happy emotion, can prevent entities inside the container from the effects of external conditions in positive or negative way. The inside entity here is the human. The (f) aspect argues that the interoperability and control of the entities inside a container with the outside world depends on their dynamic nature. Our body or the other is inside a container. The inside conditions are considered to affect us, that could be positive (create the happy feeling) or negative (create the sad feeling). In order to establish the directional value of these conditions, the container metaphor model
20
often interacts with other metaphor models such as the direction model, like happy is up.
Another model of happy emotional metaphor for the S.D container is widely considered to be a metaphorical model of humanity. Within the scope of this model, the (g) aspect of the container theory will be used. Due to an emotional experience characteristic of this model and the positive characteristic of the entities found within it causes emotional joy, the human being can be perceived as a collection of two separate entities, composed of being and subject. Thus, happy is being is an aspect of a person's physiological and physical functions, including his emotions.
The subject is the consciousness and reasoning that human experience. By application of this type of metaphor to emotional expressions, main is a metaphor of containers, indeed, essence is also a metaphor of containers. Emotions are often referred to as fluid within the being and are controlled by the subject. Any change that is unable to control one's normal emotional balance is considered to have some physical effect on one's being. For example, the English metaphor of burst with joy shows a powerful physical reaction of the self that has not been controlled by the subject. This happens when the (g) aspect of the container argument is applied. The English idioms have two units, including (i) feel/be full of the joys of spring; and (ii) burst with joy.
Through perspective, we can highlight some parts of the container and obscure some others (Lakoff and Johnson, 2008). For example, if humans are containers, then different parts of the body or being are also containers. As a result, attention can be focused on the head part in spite of other parts such as the body or limbs.
This belongs to the conventional metaphorical concept that Lakoff and Johnson call used or unused parts of the metaphor. Lakoff and Johnson (2008, p. 53) stated that
"the metaphorical structure of ideas is reflected through the lexicon of the language, including fixed expressions."
In Vietnamese language, happy emotion is compared as the real entity, can be affected in the real world. Human subject is affected and controlled by the container
21
abstract, the happy feeling. For the first metaphorical sub-model Parts outside the body is container for happy feeling, the outside of the body can list a lot, and they are used as source domains for creating emotional conceptual metaphors, but not all are metaphorical chemistry for the whole notion of emotion. Through a survey of Vietnamese idioms expressing happy emotions, we found that the following external parts of the body are used to create meanings for idioms, namely the face, hands, eyes. By involving the surface of containers, Vietnamese have six idioms, expressing joy using the face, including (i) mát mày mát mặt; (ii) mặt tươi như hoa;
(iii) mừng mặt bắt tay; (iv) nở mày nở mặt; (v) nở mặt nở mày; and (vi) tay bắt mặt mừng. Among the parts outside the human body, the face is one of the most important body parts, perhaps because people always use the face as the first body part to contact the world around them. And it is also the body part that is able to express the most profound psychological, emotional and attenuating factors. In the Vietnamese idioms mentioned above, the word "face" represents the emotion that is revealed to the outside, namely the happy feeling. When people feel happy, the human face relaxes, maybe because people have many laughs, the facial muscles and the corners of their mouth stretch accordingly. This incarnation experience may create metaphor for the concept of happy emotions with the word "face" used in conjunction with the verb "bloom" in the face, the face. The face is also considered to be a living being, so when it is happy or has positive emotions, the living being is alive, as well as the flowers when there is vitality will be very fresh (the face is as fresh as flowers), or as if the body feels cool Batch is when the most positive emotion. (cool eyebrow cool face). Therefore, a happy combination with the word
"face" to indicate the joy of being revealed to the outside, not concealing can also be considered as being hidden conceptual example with the Face is container or happy feeling.
The human body parts are used to make containers in idioms including heart, stomach, abdomen, intestines, liver. These are parts of body whose characteristics are not visible to the outside so people cannot see them. However, these parts are
22
still used by Vietnamese people to create the concept of happy metaphor for Vietnamese idioms and still be understood correctly with the nature of the meaning to express their joy. Thanks to the speaker or the listener's association, between the abstract concept (the emotion) and the concept of the container (the inner part of the human body) on one side.
In term of English idioms, metaphor of happy emotions is also used with the model Abstract entity or emotional status is container, through the five idioms (Appendix A). Element, spirit and rapture are abstract concept, however, they seem to be objects in the real world, could be inside, or step inside through using the preposition in and inside, expressed by those examples (Lehman, 2013):
“…Yes, father, I have seen a good deal of the world, and I am in high mood to breath the fresh air again…When the father saw his dear little son again, he was in his element to give the fox willingly all the hens that he had…”
Thus, the human subject in these examples are affected and controlled by the container is the happy emotion, that suit with the model metaphors container of Lakoff and Ruiz de Mendoza – with the container is the spirit world that a person would like to be happy could be inside that limited world. When they are in the container, they could be affected by what they can find in the container. They can go inside a state of feeling or escape from it as if they step in and out of a container or the covered area.