A Comparative Study Of Conceptual Metaphor In Chinese And American Pro-environment Public Service Advertising

Deignan identify four cases in a cross-linguistic comparison of metaphor in English and Polish:1 Same conceptual metaphor and equivalent linguistic expression; 2 Same conceptual metaphor but different linguistic expression;3 Different conceptual metaphors used in the two languages;4 Words and expressions with similar literal meanings but different metaphorical meanings. According to this theory, this paper summarized the conceptual metaphor in the American and Chinese pro- environment Public Service Advertisings (PSAs). In the comparative study, the results confirmed the previous three cases. That means there exist the similarity and difference in the conceptual metaphor in the Chinese and American PSAs. For example, if we see the overall environment of the earth as an organism, the same type of vehicles are found in Chinese and American Environmental Protection PSAs, such as mothers, children, friends, and so on. Another example is the status of the entire global environment is the state of human physical health. There are different vehicles such as overstretched, life supporting machine in the American Pro- Environment PSAs, but using pulse, heart rate and so on in Chinese ones In the third case, the study results also appear. Chinese pro- environment public service advertising prefer to use the conceptual metaphor that the earth is the cozy place for human. Success and wealth is common metaphor for environmental protection behavior 'in U.S. environmental advertising, while it is rare in Chinese advertising. Since languag(?) is a cultural response, this paper attempts to use Hofstede's cultural theory, Rokeach's Value Survey, and Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck value orientation theory proposed by the five individual cultural values, which are the theoretical basis for the study, to analyse the the causes for the similarities and differences between Chinese and American conceptual metaphors from the perspective of cultural values.In two different languages, the same or similar expression in conceptual metaphor is due to the characteristics of public service ads, their purpose, the same sense of responsibility, and moral reflection in the two cultures. Results from the study reflect the difference from which we can get a glimpse of collectivism, patriotism in Chinese pro-environment public service advertising and individualism, heroism, the pursuit of freedom reflected in the American pro-environment public service advertising. Historical factors, geographical factors, social factors and religious factors in the formation of two different values and cultural reasons.