This thesis is a study on the metaphor and metonymy expressed in idioms from the cognitive semantic point of view, which differs from the traditional point of view of regarding idioms as dead metaphors. From the cognitive semantic point of view, a con...
This thesis is a study on the metaphor and metonymy expressed in idioms from the cognitive semantic point of view, which differs from the traditional point of view of regarding idioms as dead metaphors. From the cognitive semantic point of view, a considerable portion of the meaning in idioms is motivated by the metaphoric knowledge possessed by language users. This thesis attempts to look into several examples of conceptual metaphors and metonymy expressed in modern Korean idioms and reveal their characteristics.
In Chapter 2, various theories on the metaphors and metonymy are reviewed. Both concepts are the main topic of cognitive semantic theory, the theoretical background of this thesis.
In Chapter 3, the metaphors in the idioms are analyzed separately into two approaches based on a working mechanism: Image-schematic metaphors and the great chain of being metaphors. This analysis shows that Korean idioms which obtain meaning based on image schema are motivated by the container metaphor, the movement metaphor, the orientational metaphor and the link metaphor. This analysis also shows that idioms based on the great chain of being metaphor understand more abstract concepts mainly through motivation from things and animals while the examples of conceptualization through personification in this case are rare.
In Chapter 4, metonymy in the idioms is analyzed. Metonymy expressed in idioms has a predicative function, not indicative. In many cases, these idioms are used to depict certain circumstances or conditions more clearly, rather than to indicate certain objects. These idioms either replace the entire ICM mainly with a beginning action, a closing action and a distinctive highlighting action, or function as a part of ICM to replace other parts. Idioms to depict the psychological state of a person are mostly used through physiological reaction. This physiological metonymy, which is the outcome of conceptualization from an abstract psychological state to a physical change, accounts for the relative majority among the idioms.
In Chapter 5, the characteristics of metaphors and metonymy from the idioms analyzed in chapter 3 and 4, are comprehensively studied. The characteristics of metaphors are as follows: first, structural metaphors which are mapped systematically (in order) are rarely found second, formations of idioms by the container metaphor, the movement metaphor and the orientational metaphor are prevalent among image-schema metaphors; third, idioms based on the great chain of being metaphor appear mainly as a one to one metaphor in the cases of the conceptualization of things and animals, while they seldom appear in the cases of personification. The metaphors in idioms can be considered as productive metaphors because of spontaneous understanding and usage by language users in spite of the hidden target area, which is different from other metaphors. It is suggested that many empty spots from the expression of antonymic relations in idioms are spontaneous in this context because this is only the point when the connection in our conceptual system can be easily set up by conceptual metaphor. The expressions of antonymic metaphors are used as idioms, even if they are present in the phrase that depicts literal meaning. There are three characteristics of metonymy in idioms: first, metonymy indicating curtailment does not exist second, the primary function of idiomatic metonymy is not indication, but understanding through predicative and third, metonymy that depicts feeling as a physiological reaction is often used. Metaphors and metonymy can work independently as motivational objects to the meaning of idioms, but there are cases where many of them work together as an interactive motivational object. The metaphoric forms created, mainly out of metonymy, can be found in Korean idioms.
This study confirms that the meaning of idioms does not lose relevancy to the literal meaning and the metaphors and metonymy involved in the formation of meaning in idioms are not dead-metaphors which have no function, but are clearly and spontaneously connected with literal meaning in our conceptual system.