Luận án Metaphors used in students’ conversations: A cognitive study

THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDIES PHẠM THỊ TÀI METAPHORS USED IN STUDENTS’ CONVERSATIONS: A COGNITIVE STUDY DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES Da Nang, 2023 THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDIES PHẠM THỊ TÀI METAPHORS USED IN STUDENTS’ CONVERSATIONS: A COGNITIVE STUDY Major: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS Code: 922.02.01 DOCTORAL THESIS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES SUPERVISOR: Dr. TRẦN QUANG HẢI Da Nang, 2023 i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Except where bibliography is made in the text, the dissertation contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from another author’s thesis or document. It does not comprise any parts by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. This dissertation is also assured that it has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution.” Da Nang, June 2023 Phạm Thị Tài ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I am greatly indebted to my supervisors for their continuous support and conscientious supervision. To be more specific, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Tran Quang Hai for his generosity in providing me with important feedback and suggestions, as well as his ongoing support to help me overcome challenges. As a result, my dissertation supervisor instills confidence and determination in me to complete my dissertation. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Associate Professor Dr. Phan Van Hoa, Associate Professor Dr. Tran Van Phuoc, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Long, Dr. Huynh Ngoc Mai Kha, Dr. Ngu Thien Hung, and Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa for their valuable comments and encouragement throughout my dissertation writing process. I would like to express my gratitude to the Dean and colleagues of the Faculty of English, in particular, for their generosity in providing all favorable conditions, including time and permission, for me to do the research in question. Last but not least, I am extremely grateful to my family, which includes my parents, my brother, my two children, and my husband. In particular, I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my husband for his encouragement to never give up, even when things appeared hopeless. Without his immense help, love, encouragement and sacrifice, this research could not have been completed. iii ABSTRACT In light of Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) conceptual metaphor theory (CMT), this study aims to investigate the conceptualization of LEARNING in English and Vietnamese students' film conversations. As a result, the study's goal is to identify LEARNING metaphors in both languages. In terms of metaphors in cognitive periods, which serve to construct the theoretical framework for this research. Methodologically, the data are collected from English and Vietnamese films between the 1990s to present. Contrastive method is mainly employed combining with descriptive method, and the assistance of qualitative and quantitative methods. Especially, the thesis employed the method of the identification of conceptual metaphors proposed by Steen (2007) and Pragglejaz Group (2007). Thus, the combination two methods of metaphor analysis, namely Metaphor Pattern Analysis (MPA, Stefanowitsch 2006) and the version of the Metaphor Identification Procedure developed at Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU, Steen et al. 2011) to characterize how conceptual metaphor of LEARNING is expressed. Research findings discloses 12 conceptual metaphors of learning in both English and Vietnamese. The two languages share 11 conceptual metaphors, and there is 1 conceptual metaphor that is unique to one language but not the other. It can be concluded that there are both similarities and differences in metaphorizing the entity of LEARNING in English and Vietnamese. The factors related to the phenomenon are given based on the educational philosophy. As briefly described above, it is hoped that the dissertation will make a significant contribution to the teaching, learning, and translation of English and Vietnamese. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CALD Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary CD Cambridge Dictionary CL Cognitive Linguistics CMA Critical Metaphors Analysis CMT Conceptual Metaphor Theory FSM Five-Step Method LDE Longman Dictionary English MIP Metaphor Identification Procedures SD Source Domain TD Target Domain VD Vietnamese Dictionary v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1. The procedure of conceptual metaphor identification .................. 73 Figure 4.1. The distribution of entities mapped onto LEARNING in English82 Figure 4.2. The distribution of source domains in terms of Physiological Activity mapping onto learning in English ..................................................... 83 Figure 4.3. The distribution of source domains in terms of Mental Activity mapping onto learning in English ................................................................... 90 Figure 4.4. The distribution of source domains in terms of entity mapping onto learning in English .......................................................................................... 97 Figure 5.1. The distribution of entity mapped onto LEARNING in Vietnamese ....................................................................................................................... 105 Figure 5.2. The distribution of source domains in terms of Physiological Activity mapping onto learning in Vietnamese ............................................ 107 Figure 5.3. The distribution of source domains in terms of Mental Activity mapping onto learning in Vietnamese .......................................................... 115 Figure 5.4. The distribution of source domains in terms of Entity mapping onto learning in Vietnamese .................................................................................. 121 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1. Mappings for the LIFE IS A JOURNEY metaphor (cited in Kövecses, 2006) .............................................................................................. 19 Table 3.1. Metaphor identification procedure of the Pragglejaz Group (2007) ......................................................................................................................... 74 Table 3.2. The procedures of the identification of metaphor for learning ...... 75 Table 4.1. Mapping of Learning is a Physiological Activity .......................... 83 Table 4.2. Mapping of LEARNING AS WORKING ..................................... 85 Table 4.3. Mapping of LEARNING AS PERFORMANCE .......................... 88 Table 4.4. Mapping of Learning is a Mental Activity ..................................... 90 Table 4.5. Mapping of LEARNING IS FIGHTING ....................................... 92 Table 4.6. Mapping of LEARNING IS DISCOVERY ................................... 93 Table 4.7. Mapping of LEARNING IS ACQUISITION ................................ 94 Table 4.8. Mapping of LEARNING IS THINKING ...................................... 96 Table 4.9. Mapping of Learning is an Entity ................................................... 96 Table 4.10. Mapping of LEARNING IS A CONTAINER ............................. 98 Table 4.11. Mapping of LEARNING IS A MAP ......................................... 100 Table 4.12. Mapping of LEARNING IS AN INSTRUMENT ..................... 101 Table 4.13. Mapping of LEARNING IS A GAME ...................................... 102 Table 5.1. Mapping of Learning is a Physiological Activity......................... 106 Table 5.2. Mapping of Learning is a Mental Activity ................................... 114 Table 5.3. Mapping of Learning is a Mental Activity ................................... 120 Table 6.1. Conceptual patterns appearing in students’ conversations .......... 140 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ................................................................ i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................. ii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................. vii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 1 1.1. Rationale ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Aims and Objectives of the Study.............................................................. 3 1.2.1. Aims of the study ............................................................................ 3 1.2.2. Objectives of the study .................................................................... 3 1.2.3. Research Questions ......................................................................... 4 1.3. Scope of the Study ..................................................................................... 4 1.4. Significance of the Study ........................................................................... 5 1.4.1. Theoretical Significance of the Study ............................................. 5 1.4.2. Practical Significance of the Study ................................................. 5 1.5. Organization of the Thesis ......................................................................... 5 Chapter 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................... 7 2.1. Theoretical Background ............................................................................. 7 2.1.1. Metaphor in Cognitive Linguistics ................................................. 7 2.1.2. Conceptual Metaphor Theory ....................................................... 11 2.1.3. Conceptual Metaphor in Education .............................................. 32 2.1.4. Conceptual Metaphor of Learning ................................................ 35 2.1.5. Conversation ................................................................................. 40 2.1.6. The Educational Philosophy in Vietnam and Western countries . 54 viii 2.2. Review of Related Studies ....................................................................... 62 2.3. Summary .................................................................................................. 67 Chapter 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................. 68 3.1. Research Method ...................................................................................... 68 3.1.1. Descriptive Method ....................................................................... 68 3.1.2. Contrastive Method ....................................................................... 69 3.1.3. Research Techniques .................................................................... 70 3.2. Data Collecting Procedure ....................................................................... 71 3.2.1. Sources of Data ............................................................................. 71 3.2.2. Collecting Procedures ................................................................... 72 3.2.3. Conceptual Metaphor Identification ............................................. 72 3.3. Data Analysis Procedure .......................................................................... 77 3.4. Summary .................................................................................................. 80 Chapter 4. CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS OF LEARNING IN ENGLISH FILM CONVERSATIONS ....................................................... 81 4.1. Learning is a Physiological Activity ........................................................ 82 4.1.1. Learning is working ...................................................................... 84 4.1.2. Learning is Performance ............................................................... 87 4.1.3. Learning is physical control .......................................................... 89 4.2. Learning is a Mental Activity .................................................................. 90 4.2.1. Learning is fighting ....................................................................... 91 4.2.2. Learning is discovery .................................................................... 92 4.2.3. Learning is acquisition .................................................................. 94 4.2.4. Learning is thinking ...................................................................... 95 4.3. Learning is an Entity ................................................................................ 96 4.3.1. Learning is a container .................................................................. 97 4.3.2. Learning is a map .......................................................................... 99 ix 4.3.3. Learning is an Instrument ........................................................... 100 4.3.4. Learning is a game ...................................................................... 102 4.4. Summary ................................................................................................ 103 Chapter 5. CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS OF LEARNING IN VIETNAMESE FILM CONVERSATIONS ............................................ 105 5.1. Learning is a Physiological Activity ...................................................... 105 5.1.1. Learning is working .................................................................... 107 5.1.2. Learning is Performance ............................................................. 109 5.1.3. Learning is Physical Control ....................................................... 111 5.1.4. Learning is Imitating ................................................................... 112 5.2. Learning is a Mental Activity ................................................................ 114 5.2.1. Learning is Competition ............................................................. 115 5.2.2. Learning is Discovery ................................................................. 117 5.2.3. Learning is Acquisition ............................................................... 118 5.2.4. Learning is Thinking ................................................................... 119 5.3. Learning is an Entity .............................................................................. 120 5.3.1. Learning is a Container ............................................................... 121 5.3.2. Learning is a Map ....................................................................... 122 5.3.3. Learning is an Instrument ........................................................... 123 5.3.4. Learning is a Game ..................................................................... 125 5.4. Summary ................................................................................................ 126 Chapter 6. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS OF LEARNING ....................................................................................................................... 129 6.1. Similarities ............................................................................................. 129 6.2. Differences ............................................................................................. 133 6.3. Summary ................................................................................................ 140 x Chapter 7. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ............................. 142 7.1. Conclusions ............................................................................................ 142 7.2. Implications ............................................................................................ 144 7.3. Limitation and Suggestions for Further Studies .................................... 150 REFERENCES ............................................................................................ 151 THESIS-RELATED PUBLICATIONS .................................................... 168 APPENDIX .................................................................................................. 169 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1. Rationale Conversation or verbal communication between people is essential in our everyday lives. People need to talk in social learning process or in common communication to exchange information, establish and maintain social learning process, and discuss together to find solutions to professional issues and even other problems in their daily lives. According to Liddicoat (2007), one of the ways people can socialize, develop, and sustain their learning process is through conversation. As a result, delivering information smoothly is critical to achieving its goal. Understanding and attraction are inseparable in conversational analytic thinking- understanding is a continuous, dynamic process that is constructed and modified in and through interaction. Conversations in films are also talks about issues in people's daily lives. Although the scriptwriters choose and write the conversational settings, their purposes are the same as those in everyday conversations. Metaphorical expressions in our everyday conversations can be found in both traditional and creative contexts. Cognitive linguistics (CL) is a modern school of linguistic thought and practice that emerged in the early 1970s and has grown in popularity since the 1980s as a result of dissatisfaction with formal approaches to language as maintained by Evans and Green (2006), Croft and Cruse (2004). However, when viewed in the context of the relationship between language and thought, CL has been recognized by a number of linguists, including Evans and Green (2006), Fillmore (2006), Langacker (2009), Talmy (2010), Geeraerts (2010), Fauconnier and Turner (1996), and others. 2 It's worth noting that Lakoff and John (1980) mark a revolution for cognitive linguistics by their grounding-breaking Metaphor We Live By when they present metaphor from the cognitive perspective. Lakoff and his colleagues have spent much time arguing that metaphor should be viewed as a conceptual phenomenon, not just a language one, notably Kovecses (2002, 2010), Lakoff (1987); Lakoff and Johnson (1980a, 1999); Lakoff and Turner (1989). As a result, their theory has served as a framework for further study. In Vietnam, a number of scholars have developed a variety of reviews, overviews, and research on conceptual metaphor, for example, Suy nghi ve an du khai niem trong the gioi thi ca tu goc nhin cua ngon ngu hoc tri nhan of Nguyen (2009), An du y niem of Phan (2007), An du duoi goc do tri nhan of Phan (2009) and so on. A large variety of research have been undertaken to study conceptual metaphors of both concrete and abstract concepts around our human worldwide, as well as in Vietnam. Abstract ideas have received special attention in the study of conceptual metaphors, which is understandable given that conceptual metaphor is the process of conceptualizing a more abstract domain in terms of more concrete domains as stated in Lakoff and Johnson (1980a).