VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES ĐÀO THỊ THÙY LINH A STUDY OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS DENOTING FEAR IN SOME ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE CONTEMPORARY SHORT STORIES FROM COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE Nghiên cứu ẩn dụ ý niệm chỉ nỗi sợ hãi trong một số truyện ngắn Anh –Việt đương đại dưới góc nhìn tri nhận M. THESIS (PROGRAM 1) Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201.01 HANOI - 2019 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES ĐÀO THỊ THÙY LINH A STUDY OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS DENOTING FEAR IN SOME ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE CONTEMPORARY SHORT STORIES FROM COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE Nghiên cứu ẩn dụ ý niệm chỉ nỗi sợ hãi trong một số truyện ngắn Anh –Việt đương đại dưới góc nhìn tri nhận M. THESIS (PROGRAM 1) Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201.01 Supervisor: Huỳnh Anh Tuấn, Ph. HANOI - 2019 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com DECLARATION I declare that this thesis “A study of conceptual metaphors denoting fear in some English and Vietnamese contemporary short stories from cognitive perspective” has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree.
This thesis is submitted after a carefully checking progress in order to fulfill the requirements of the M. Hanoi, 2019 Đào Thị Thùy Linh i TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout the writing of this thesis, I have received a great deal of support and assistance. Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Huỳnh Anh Tuấn, Ph. for the all support of my research, for his patience, motivation, and immense knowledge.
His guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this thesis. I am greatly indebted to all my lecturers at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for their endless enthusiasm and undeniable helpful lectures. I would be very grateful to the staff of the Faculty of Graduate Studies for their support during my time of studying. I would also like to thank my leaders and colleagues at the place where I work.
They gave me opportunities and supported me so that I completed the program the best I can. Finally, I gratefully acknowledge my family for all for providing me constant encouragement, divine presence and supporting me spiritually throughout. Hanoi, 2019 Đào Thị Thùy Linh ii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ABSTRACT This paper attempts to investigate and compare the conceptual metaphors of fear in English and Vietnamese contemporary short stories. FEAR is one of the basic emotions of human beings, and it has both similarities and differences among different languages.
Analysis of features of conceptualization is a critical part of the semantics of emotions. This study aims to compare and contrast the use of metaphors of fear in two languages, which are English and Vietnamese. The study provides some important findings. Firstly, metaphor is common in conceptualizing and expressing emotions in English and Vietnamese short stories.
Secondly, English and Vietnamese have several common cognitive metaphors of fear. Thirdly, the differences of English and Vietnamese metaphors in fear have relations to cultural models. Due to the limited research on the conceptual metaphors denoting fear used by short story writers, the findings add to the body of knowledge related to these areas of conceptual metaphors. The study also suggests several implications for translation, language learning and teaching.
iii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv PART I: INTRODUCTION. Rationale of the study.
Objectives of the study. Scope of the study. Significance of the study. Organization of the study .3 PART II: DEVELOPMENT .5 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .5 AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .20 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .21 iv TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.
Data collection procedure. English contemporary short stories. Vietnamese contemporary short stories. Data analysis procedure .33 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .1 Conceptual metaphors of fear in English short stories .2 Conceptual metaphors of fear in Vietnamese short stories.
Similarities and differences in the use of conceptual metaphors between English and Vietnamese short stories .56 PART III: CONCLUSION. Limitations and suggestions for further study. Suggestions for further study .61 v TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com PART I: INTRODUCTION This chapter provides the overall structure and concept of the study, including the rationale, objectives, research questions, scope, contribution and organization of the study. Rationale of the study Cognitive linguistics is the approach to the study of language that began to emerge in the 1970s and has been increasingly active since the 1980s.
Until now, a large amount of research has been carried out in the light of cognitive linguistics over the world in general and in Vietnam in particular, and most of them have focused on semantics with a deeper insight into the use of conceptual metaphors in languages. Conceptual metaphors involve two concepts and have the form A is B, where the most abstract concept A such as love, life, economy, and argument is comprehended in terms of the more concrete concept B including war or a container. Therefore, the investigation of conceptual metaphors to find out similarities and differences of using this kind of meaning transference among languages in the world brings great benefits to the English teaching, learning, and translating process. Everyday emotions like happiness, sadness, anger and fear and love turn to be metaphorical.
The basis of this research is relatively small but important for describing fear. Metaphors arise when a familiar, well-understood concept (the source) is used to explain or structure another less-familiar one (the target). There is an important connection between stories and emotion metaphors. The research entitled “A study of conceptual metaphors denoting fear in some English and Vietnamese contemporary short stories from cognitive perspective” is conducted to contribute to the process of understanding and interpretation of conceptual metaphors in English and Vietnamese short stories.
Objectives of the study The study is intended to fulfill the following objectives: 1 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com - investigating how conceptual metaphors denoting fear are expressed in English and Vietnamese short stories from cognitive perspective. - discovering and explaining the similarities and differences in conceptual metaphors of fear in English and Vietnamese short stories. Research questions In order to achieve the above objectives, the following research questions could be put forward: - How are the conceptual metaphors of fear conceptualized in English and Vietnamese contemporary short stories? - What are the similarities and differences of the conceptual metaphors denoting fear in English and Vietnamese short stories? 4. Scope of the study This research investigates the way of conceptualizing metaphors denoting fear in some English and Vietnamese contemporary short stories.
Seventeen short stories in both languages, five in English and twelve in Vietnamese, are chosen as follows: English short stories Allan and the Sundered Veil (2000) Eclipse (2007) The doll (2011) The sloan men (2013) The open window (2013) Vietnamese short stories Hoang Đường (2005) Cánh đồng bất tận (2005) Áo đỏ bắt đèn (2005) Thiên thần nhỏ của tôi (2008) Áo rách và nắm bụi (2011) Lời nguyền của bầy sói (2013) 2 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Ngồi khóc trên cây (2013) Những kẻ đợi chết (2013) Núi mây và bồ câu xám (2014) Cơm vắt Điện Biên (2014) Bảy bước tới mùa hè (2015) Xuyên đêm (2015) 5. Significance of the study This study attempts to provide learners with a potential source of conceptual metaphors denoting fear in English and Vietnamese stories. Moreover, it helps learners understand the differences between English and Vietnamese cultures and know how to apply the knowledge of conceptual metaphors in stories not only in studying but also in real life. The study aims to make important contributions.
First, it investigates the conceptual metaphors of fear in English and Vietnamese based on the theory of cognitive metaphor. Second, it discovers and explains the similarities and the dissimilarities in conceptual metaphors of fear in English and Vietnamese. Third, it suggests several implications for translation, communication, and language teaching. Organization of the study This study will cover the following 3 parts with 3 chapters: Part I - “Introduction”.
This part will present the rationale, the objectives and research questions of the study. It is also devoted to the scope, the significance and the organization of the study. Part II – “Development”. This part will comprise three chapters.
Chapter 1 – “Literature review and Theoretical background”. This chapter will present previous studies related to the paper and provide the fundamental knowledge of metaphors in general and conceptual metaphors in particular. Theoretical matters related to the study such as the theories of cognitive linguistics, metaphor, definition, classification, features of conceptual metaphors and fear 3 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Chapter 2 – “Research methodology”.
This chapter will discuss the research approach, research method, data collection procedure and data analysis procedure. Chapter 3 – “Findings and Discussions”. This chapter will focus on analyzing and discussing conceptual metaphors denoting fear in some English and Vietnamese contemporary short stories. Then, this chapter will also compare the similarities and differences in conceptual metaphors used in two languages.
Part III – “Conclusion”. This chapter will summarize the study‟s results and present the suggested implications for learning, teaching and translating conceptual metaphors in English and Vietnamese as well as limitations and suggestions for further study. 4 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND This chapter reviews the existing literature to describe how previous researches contribute to the topic. Then, it provides theoretical background and framework that the study is based on.
Literature review Cognitive metaphor, or conceptual metaphor, as well as a detailed examination of the underlying processes, was first extensively explored by Lakoff and Johnson in the book “Metaphor We Live By” in 1980. Since then, a considerable number of studies has been carried out in the light of cognitive linguistics in the world and Vietnam as well. Emotion metaphors figure prominently as one of the best-researched domains with famous work by many linguists such as Barcelona (1986), Lakoff (1987), Kövecses (1990), Niemeier (2000), etc. Esenova (2011) examines the conceptual metaphors of anger, fear, and sadness embedded in the conceptual system of English speakers and explores the role of various bodily and cultural factors in the creation of those metaphors.
The study employs an interdisciplinary approach which means that the outcome of the study is assessed about the findings from other related fields. The metaphors are chosen to map the source domains of CONTAINER, ANIMAL, SUPERNATURAL BEING, HIDDEN ENEMY, TORMENTOR, SMELL, TASTE, PLANT, MIXED SUBSTANCE, and PURE SUBSTANCE onto the target domains of anger, fear and sadness. Moreover, it provides knowledge about the importance of the following basic experiences in the conceptualization of emotions: human interaction with animal species such as horses, snakes, birds, etc., and the cultural views resulting from it; folk beliefs about the supernatural, agricultural experience of growing plants and the practice of mixing different substances. Particularly, the findings show that fear may be instigated by a great variety of physical, mental, and social 5 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.
The study demonstrates further that each cause gives rise to a specific type of fear. The existence of the majority of those fears is confirmed by scientific evidence from other fields of knowledge. Mashak et al. (2012) conduct a comparative study on basic emotion conceptual metaphors in English and Persian texts.
In the study, conceptual metaphors are investigated for happiness, anger, sadness, fear, and love. To conduct this study, about 782 metaphorical expressions describing emotions are collected from different sources, from both written and spoken discourses in English and Persian.