Conceptual metaphors of time in Thai and English

Abstract

Although metaphors have been commented upon from time to time throughout recorded history, it has only been in the last three decades that the theory of conceptual metaphors has been proposed. Most research has concerned spatial metaphors. This means that time has not received as much attention. This paper is a cross-language examination of conceptual metaphors of time in the languages of Thai and English. The research analyzed metaphorical expressions of time, identified the conceptual metaphors of time represented by those metaphorical expressions, and then compared the number, kind and expressions of conceptual metaphors of time operating in Thai and English. In order to conduct this research, the English novel 3001 : A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke and a version translated into Thai, by ลักษณรงค์, were used as a data base. All metaphorical expressions of time appearing in the books were recorded. The expressions were then analyzed. Then the metaphorical expressions were grouped under the conceptual metaphors that were detected in the two languages. Finally, the quantities were analyzed and certain conclusions were reached and generalizations made. The conceptual metaphors identified in this research were : Time is a moving object, moving observer, containment, resource, possessor, space, and money. However, time is money and moving observer were not found in Thai. The most culturally coherent conceptual metaphor of time operating in English was moving object with containment and resource following. The least coherent conceptual metaphor was moving observer. In Thai, the most culturally coherent conceptual metaphor was containment followed by resource and then moving object. The least coherent was time is a possessor.