This paper investigates typical conceptual metaphors used in the Declaration of Independence of USA by Thomas Jefferson, the USA president.. Chapter 2, THE STUDY, figure out the concept
Trang 1Metaphor in the Declaration of Independence of
the United States Nguyễn Thị Thanh Bình
Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ Luận văn Thạc sĩ ngành: English Linguistics; Mã số: 60 22 15
Người hướng dẫn: M.A Nguyễn Hương Giang
Năm bảo vệ: 2012
Abstract This paper investigates typical conceptual metaphors used in the Declaration
of Independence of USA by Thomas Jefferson, the USA president Metaphor is traditionally treated as rhetoric device in poetics However, according to cognitivists, metaphor is not merely a matter of language but a matter of thought Metaphor plays a very important role in expressing emotion and influencing to audiences effectively The author tries to present classical cognitive theory of metaphor proposed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson This study consists of three main parts The first part, INTRODUCTION, gives general information about the rationale, the aim, the scope, the methods and the design of the study The second part, DEVELOPMENT, involves two chapters Chapter 1, AN OVERVIEW OF METAPHOR, provides the theoretical background on conceptual metaphor, the classification and functions of conceptual metaphor Chapter 2, THE STUDY, figure out the conceptual metaphor in the Declaration and how they affect the audience The last part, CONCLUSION, reveals all types of conceptual metaphor including ontological metaphor, structural metaphor and orientational metaphor used in the Declaration These conceptual metaphors have definite emotional effect on the audience to fulfill the purpose of delivering this
Declaration Also, some suggestions for further study are presented in this part
Keywords Ngôn ngữ; Tiếng Anh; Ngữ pháp; Phương pháp ẩn dụ
Content
1 Rationale
Metaphor is one of the most complex and powerful tools of language and hence gets a section all to itself It is widely used in different types of text like literature, science, journals, advertisement, religion, politics or everyday language The use of metaphor as a part of figurative language aims to help the listeners to visualize what is meant by a phrase or expression It is seen everyday and every time by almost everybody In fact, politicians use language to persuade people that their thoughts, aims and ideas are equitable and to make their point clear and vivid to the people It is proved that the use of metaphor is one of the most prominent tools for persuasion and an effective instrument for propaganda in political language Commenting on the important role of metaphor, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (1980:3) state that “metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action”
The Declaration of Independence is delivered to announce independence and sovereignty
of any countries to not only their citizens but also other countries in all over the world
Trang 2Therefore, its author has to use rhetorical strategies to convince people and metaphor is one of the rhetorical strategies which are found to be commonly used Thus, I would like to conduct a study on the use of metaphor in the Declaration of Independence of the United States to find out what types of metaphor are commonly used and how effective they are
2 Aims of the study
This study was conducted to fulfil the following aims:
To provide knowledge about conceptual metaphor from Lakoff and Johnson’s perspective
To investigate the use of conceptual metaphor in the Declaration of Independence of the United States
To give suggestion on some teaching and learning activities to gain more understanding about metaphor
These aims of the study were achieved via the following research questions:
What is conceptual metaphor?
How many types of conceptual metaphor are there?
What types of conceptual metaphor are used in The Declaration of Independence of the United States?
3 Scope of the study
This study attempts to look at theories of metaphor Cognitive theory about metaphor developed by Lakoff and Johnson will be presented in details in terms of definition, components, classification and functions Then, the Declaration of Independence of the USA is analysed using Lakoff and Johnson’s theory to figure out typical conceptual metaphors in this writing
4 Methods of the study
The study is carried out mainly based on the combination of both descriptive and explanatory methods These two methods were used to collect data different books and other sources available, describe the collected information and analyze the Declaration of Independence of the USA The study was conducted as follows:
Firstly, data was collected from different books, websites about metaphor in English Secondly, the collected information was synthesized and categorized
Finally, the Declaration of Independence was analyzed in terms of metaphor
5 Design of the study
The study consists of 3 main parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion
The Introduction presents the rationale, aims, scope, methods and design of the study The Development is divided into 2 chapters Chapter 1 deals with theoretical background
of the study including different theories of metaphor Chapter 2 accounts for the study of conceptual metaphors used in Declaration of Independence of America
The Conclusion focuses on major findings, implications and suggestions for further studies
References
1 Dirver R & Roings R (2003), Metaphore and Metonymy in Comparison and Contrast,
Mouton de Gruyter Berlin, New York
2 Pound, Ezra (1913), "A Retrospect" Literary Essays of Ezra Pound Ed T S Eliot New York
3 Higara M.K (2005), Metaphor and Iconicity A cognitive approach to Analyzing texts,
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chppenham & Eastbourne
4 Lakoff G & Johnson M (1980), Metaphors We live by, Chicago University Press,
Chicago and London
5 Lakoff G & Turner M (1989) More than cool Reason, Chicago University Press
Trang 36 Lakoff G (1993), The Comterporary theory of Metaphor, Cambridge Universit Press,
Cambridge
7 Leezengberh M (2001), Contexts of Metaphor, Univeristy Of Amsterdam, Elsevier
Science Ltd, the Netherlands
8 Richards I.A (1936) The philosophy of rhetoric, Oxford Univeristy Press, London
9 William Harmon & C.Hugh Homan (1999), A handbook to Literature, The Odyssey Press, New York
10 Zoltan Koveceses (2010), Metaphor: A pratical introduction, Oxford University Press,
London
11 The Oxford Advanced Leaner’s 7 th Edition, 2007 Oxford University Press, London
12 The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 3 rd Edition, 2008 Cambridge University
Press, Cambride
WEBS
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/617/01/, retrieved 15/9/2012
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_style.html, retrieved 15/9/2012
http://www.wikipedia, retrieved 20/08/2012
http://www.bartleby.com/113/emily dickinson/ the complete poems 1924, retrieved 15/9/2012 John Ciardi, World Book Dictionary http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/617/01/, retrieved 20/8/2012