A Semantic Study of Foot Metaphors and Metonymies in Chinese

• Main Authors: Mei-ru Yen, 顏梅如
• Other Authors: Shelley Ching-yu Hsieh
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/40546985519644934571

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 外國語文學系專班 === 96 === The aim of the thesis is to find out foot metaphors and metonymies from jiao3 腳 and zu2 足 expressions in Chinese. The theoretical background is: (a) Heine’s (1997) notion that certain body parts can refer to abstract schematic notions; (b) Traugott & Dasher’s (2002) approach that concepts got from physical movements and perception can refer to mental actions; (c) Radden & Kövecses’s (1999) metonymy-producing relationships that the environment of metonymic mapping can be categorized into the two general conceptual configurations—whole ICM (Idealized Cognitive Model) and its parts, and parts of an ICM, and (d) Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez & Díez Velasco’s (2003) four models of interaction between metonymy and metaphor. The data are collected from Online Chinese Dictionaries of Ministry Education (1998). The research questions of the thesis are: (i) What abstract schemas does foot transfer the space property to? (ii) What virtual mental actions do foot actions refer to? (iii) What general conceptual configurations are foot metonymies categorized into? (iv) How do foot metonymies interact with metaphor? The findings of the thesis are: (1) Foot metaphors refer to the bottom of objects, the foundation of structures, the basic element of events, the bottom of a measurable space, the end or beginning of a limited period of time, the basic element of being a person showing physical state, mental state, and social relationship. (2) Actual foot actions metaphorically refer to virtual mental actions showing talent and social relationship. (3) Foot metonymies are categorized into three conceptual configurations: FOOT FOR PERSON, FOOT FOR EMOTION, and FOOT FOR ACTION. (4) In interaction with metaphor, most metonymies of FOOT FOR PERSON category and some of FOOT FOR ACTION category have interaction with metaphor. To sum up, body parts act as basic references for other abstract schemas through their shape, space, and function properties due to humans’ embodied conceptualization. With the same features mapped from body to other domains, metaphors and metonymies with body parts reflect humans’ metaphorical thinking (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980).