VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ********************** LÊ THỊ KHÁNH HÒA AN INVESTIGATION INTO CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS DENOTING “LOVE” IN AMERICAN AND VIETNAMESE ROMANTIC NOVELS FROM 2008 TO 2013 Nghiên cứu ẩn dụ ý niệm dùng để biểu đạt “tình yêu” trong các tiểu thuyết lãng mạn Mỹ - Việt từ 2008 đến 2013 M. Major Program Thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 HA NOI – 2015 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ********************** LÊ THỊ KHÁNH HÒA AN INVESTIGATION INTO CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS DENOTING “LOVE” IN AMERICAN AND VIETNAMESE ROMANTIC NOVELS FROM 2008 TO 2013 Nghiên cứu ẩn dụ ý niệm dùng để biểu đạt “tình yêu” trong các tiểu thuyết lãng mạn Mỹ - Việt từ 2008 đến 2013 M. Major Program Thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 Supervisor: Huỳnh Anh Tuấn, Ph.D HA NOI – 2015 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify my authority of the research submitted entitled “An investigation into conceptual metaphors denoting “love” in American and Vietnamese romantic novels from 2008 to 2013” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Hanoi 2014 Lê Thị Khánh Hòa i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To fulfill this study, I own great debt to all my teachers, consultants, friends, and family.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Huỳnh Anh Tuấn, whose wisdom and interesting lectures inspires me to conduct this thesis. His encouragement guidance, patience, and support of material from the very initial stage to the final stage in accomplishing this graduation thesis have been invaluable. 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 Post-graduate Department for their support during the time of studying. I would like to send special thank to two consultants Mr. Cesar Villanueva, working in California and Mr. Myron Baker, studying in Texas for their candid suggestions and encouragement.
I also want to express my appreciation to my friends, who are always ready to help me whenever I have difficulties. Last but not least, my warmest thanks are due to my family, especially my mother and my uncle Phạm Văn Hải, for their unconditional love, support, and forbearance. To all of them, I dedicate this study. Hanoi, September 2014 Lê Thị Khánh Hòa ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This study aims at investigating how the abstract concept love is conceptualized in American and Vietnamese romantic novels from 2008 to 2013.
The theory of conceptual metaphor suggested by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) and Kovecses (1986) is adopted as the analytical framework in this study. 200 samples of metaphorical expressions denoting love were found in American and Vietnamese romantic novels, which were written by native speakers. The results show that love can be conceptualized as war, madness/ insanity, magic, physical forces, pains, fire/ heat, a journey, and a nutrient in both languages. However, it is easier to find the metaphorical expressions Love is a container in American than in Vietnamese.
In addition, the results show that there are many expressions conceptualized Love as revenge in American, but it is not the case in Vietnamese. The results express the significant of cognitive semantics, which can be applied in teaching, learning, and translating. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Declaration ………………………………………………………………………. i Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………… ii Abstract ………………………………………………………………………….
iii Table of contents ………………………………………………………………… iv PART A: INTRODUCTION. Rationale of the study. Significance of the study. Aims, research questions, and scope of the study.
Method and Procedures. Organization of the study. 7 CHAPTER I: Theotical Background and Literature Review. Cognitive approaches to grammar and cognitive semantics.
Cognitive semantics: Guiding principles. Conceptual structure is embodied. Semantic structure is conceptual structure. Meaning representation is encyclopaedic.
Meaning construction is conceptualization. Conceptual Metaphor Theory. 13 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Traditional theories of metaphors.
Contemporary theories of metaphors. Classification of conceptual metaphors. Conceptual metaphoric domains. One-to-one domain mapping.
One-to-many domain mapping. Many-to-one domain mapping. 28 CHAPTER II: Research Methodology. Research design and methodology.
American romantic novels. The lucky one (2008). 31 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Not another bad date (2008).
What I did for love (2009). Last night at Chateau Marmont (2010). Vietnamese romantic novels. Cocktail cho tình yêu (2009).
Nhắm mắt thấy Paris (2010). Nếu có một linh hồn yêu em (2012). Vẽ em bằng màu nỗi nhớ (2013). Reliability and Validity.
43 CHAPTER III: Findings and Discussion. Conceptual metaphors denoting love in American romantic novels from 2008 to 2013. Love is a container. Love is war.
Love is madness or insanity. Love is magic. 53 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Love is physical forces.
Love is pains. Love is fire or heat. Love is a journey. Love is a nutrient.
Love is revenge. Conceptual metaphors denoting love in Vietnamese romantic novels from 2008 to 2013. Love is a container. Love is war.
Love is madness or insanity. Love is magic. Love is physical forces. Love is pains.
Love is fire or heat. Love is a journey. Love is a nutrient. Love is revenge.
Implications for the study. Implications for teachers. 72 vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Implications for learners.
Implications for translators. Limitations and suggestions for further study. I viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study It is obvious that English has become an important part not only in communication but also in many other aspects of life.
Hence, one of the most important factors for developing countries like Vietnam to increase the integration process is that the teaching of English for the young generations should be much invested and become the top policy. However, how to study it well and how to master it is still a difficult question for many learners. In recent years, cognitive linguistics has been considered as an increasingly essential discipline in language studies. One of the most important branches of cognitive linguistics is cognitive semantics which emphasizes the importance of metaphor in language.
Metaphor – a perceptual conceptualizing tool, involves human cognitive processes, hence it helps men understand the changing world around. In other words, conceptual metaphors help us to comprehend a relatively abstract concept thanks to a more concrete concept. Love is an eternal topic, whether in daily life or in literary works, or in films, which are universal and complex. Due to certain cultural contexts or specific geography, love has its own uniqueness.
In other words, expressing love is not an easy task and different languages may have different conventions. The description of conceptual love is beyond practicality. However, it is undeniable that our emotions like happiness, sadness, anger… especially love can turn to be metaphorical. Metaphor arises when a familiar, well-understood concept (the source) is used to explain or structure another less-familiar one (the target).
How love can be conceptualized in romantic novels and how conceptual representations vary across language and cultures have inspired me to carry out a research entitled: “An investigation into conceptual metaphors denoting “love” in American and Vietnamese romantic novels from 2008 to 2013”. It is hoped that this investigation will contribute to the 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com understanding and interpretation of conceptual metaphors in American and Vietnamese romantic novels. Significance of the study 2. In terms of theory This study is hoped to provide useful contributions to studies of linguistic units from cognitive semantic approach, which in turn can shed light on researches in other fields such as psychology, psycholinguistics, and applied cultural linguistics.
In terms of practice This research is expected to help Vietnamese learners of English better understand conceptual metaphors in American and Vietnamese literary works. Moreover, it can contribute to the teaching of American literature in Vietnamese universities of foreign languages. Aims, research questions, and scope of the study 3. Aims of the study The study aims at investigating conceptual metaphors denoting “love” in American and Vietnamese romantic novels from 2008 to 2013 in the light of cognitive semantics.
Specifically, it aims at the following: - Investigating how the concept of love is metaphorically expressed in American and Vietnamese romantic novels - Investigating the similarities and differences in expressions of conceptual metaphors used for describing love in American and Vietnamese romantic novels - Suggesting the implications for the teaching, learning and translating of conceptual metaphors denoting love 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Research questions In order to achieve the aims of the study, the following research questions should be taken into consideration: - How is the concept for love metaphorically expressed in American and Vietnamese romantic novels? - What are the similarities and differences in expressions of conceptual metaphors denoting love in American and Vietnamese romantic novels? 3. Scope of the study Due to the limited time and ability, this research investigates only the similarities and differences in expressions of conceptual metaphors denoting love in American and Vietnamese romantic novels from 2008 to 2013 from cognitive linguistic perspective. Eight romantic novels in both languages, four in American and four in Vietnamese, will be chosen for the research aim as follows: - Vietnamese romantic novels: Cocktail cho tình yêu (Trần Thu Trang, 2009, 3rd edition) Nhắm mắt thấy Paris (Dương Thụy, 2010) Nếu có một linh hồn yêu em (Ngô Hoàng Anh, 2012) Vẽ em bằng màu nỗi nhớ (Tâm Phạm, 2013) - American romantic novels: The lucky one (Nicolas Sparks, 2008) Not another bad day (Rachel Gibson, 2008) What I did for love (Susan Elizabeth Phillips, 2009) Last night at Chateau Marmont (Lauren Weisberger, 2010) 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Method and Procedures 4. Research Method The study will be carried out through contrastive and comparative analysis in order to investigate the similarities and differences in expressions of conceptual metaphors denoting love in American and Vietnamese romantic novels from 2008 to 2013 from cognitive semantic perspective. Data collection Metaphorical expressions denoting love will be collected from American and Vietnamese romantic novels issued on the Internet and in publication printings from 2008 to 2013. Data analysis The model as well as the instrument of the analysis and comparison of the two sets of data collected in the two languages was adopted from Lakoff and Johnson as introduced in their invaluable book of “Metaphor We Live By” (1980).
In this model, conceptual metaphors are classified into three different kinds, namely structural metaphors, ontological metaphors and orientational metaphor. In structural metaphor, one concept is “…metaphorically structured in term of another”. The ontological metaphors are based on experiences with physical objects, that is “…ways of viewing events, activities, emotions, ideas, etc as entities and substances”. By this way, when the target domain is not discrete or bounded, these can still be categorized and identified.
In contrast, most of orientational metaphors deal with “spatial orientation”. Therefore, a special relationship which is normally based on experiences of the physical space is needed for this concept The data will be both quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. Quantitatively, the data will be analyzed in terms of the frequencies of structural, ontological, and 4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com orientational metaphors.