A Comparative Study Of The WOMAN-IS-X Conceptual Metaphors In Chinese And American Proverbial Dictionaries

Metaphors are known to be a way of perceiving the world,which are ubiquitous in people’s daily life.In Metaphors We Live By,co-authored by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson,metaphor is regarded as not only a rhetorical device,but also a conceptual system in terms of which people both think and act.In addition,a wealth of metaphorical expressions concerning woman can be found in both Chinese and American proverbs.However,previous studies have chiefly concentrated on women-related proverbs,and little attention has been paid to the WOMAN-IS-X metaphors in Chinese and American proverbs.Therefore,under the theoretical guidance of Conceptual Metaphor,this thesis aims to carry out a comparative analysis of proverbs containing WOMAN-IS-X metaphors which reside in American Proverbs about Woman and General Collection of Chinese Proverbs with qualitative and quantitative analysis methods.The research questions of this thesis are as follows:1.What categories of WOMAN-IS-X metaphors can be found in American Proverbs about Woman and General Collection of Chinese Proverbs?2.What are the similarities and differences of WOMAN-IS-X metaphors in American Proverbs about Woman and General Collection of Chinese Proverbs?3.What are the causes of the similarities and differences of WOMAN-IS-X metaphors in American and Chinese proverbs?On the basis of the research questions above,this thesis collected 101 samples of Chinese proverbs containing WOMAN-IS-X metaphors from General Collection of Chinese Proverbs and 105 samples of American proverbs involved with WOMAN-IS-X metaphors from American Proverbs about Woman.By adopting qualitative and quantitative research method,this thesis attempts to make a comparative analysis of the collected Chinese and American proverbs to explore WOMAN-IS-X metaphors under the guidance of Conceptual Metaphor Theory.The major findings are as follows:Firstly,WOMAN-IS-X metaphors can be divided into two main categories,WOMEN ARE ANIMATE OBJECTS and WOMEN ARE INANIMATE OBJECTS.It is noteworthy that the target domain WOMAN refers to abstract concepts such as age,appearance,ability,character traits and social status which are closely linked with woman.The relatively source domains are ANIMATE OBJECTS and INANIMATE OBJECTS.For the former,animate objects encompass animals and plants,while for the latter,inanimate objects are categorized into concrete objects such as clothes,instruments,food,body parts and so forth,and abstract objects like mythological figures,etc.,which are also employed to conceptualize woman.Secondly,both American and Chinese proverbs have similarities and differences in WOMAN-IS-X metaphors.The similarities are mainly shown in the following two aspects:(1)the target domain WOMAN has multiple source domains which employ animals,plants,concrete and abstract objects,etc.in both American and Chinese proverbs;(2)both Chinese and American WOMAN-IS-X metaphors are concerned with the cognition of women’s beauty,derogation of women,and inequality of men and women.The differences are principally reflected in the following two aspects:(1)In terms of the source domain X,different subcategories of animals,plants,concrete and abstract objects,etc.are displayed to map the different aspects of the target domain WOMAN in Chinese and American proverbs;(2)In terms of the target domain WOMAN,Chinese and American proverbs lay different emphasis on women’s age,appearance,ability,personality traits,social status,and their relationship with others,etc.respectively via various source domains.Thirdly,the similarities and differences largely result from the cognitive way people in China and America perceive the world and the external factors they are exposed to such as historical factors,cultural factors,religious beliefs and so on.This thesis hopes to provide some references for the later researches about WOMAN-IS-X metaphors and Chinese and American proverbs.What’s more,it is hoped that this thesis can be applied to education and translation to gain insight into American and Chinese culture.