A Study on the Network of Metaphorical Expressions in English

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23520583
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: English linguistics
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: WATANABE Hideki 大阪大学, 言語文化研究科(研究院), 教授 (30191787)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): OMORI Ayako 大阪大学, 大学院言語文化研究科, 准教授 (70213866)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: メタファー / 動物名 / 身体部位名 / 直喩 / ネットワーク / 構造性 / Beowulf / Milton

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this collaborated research of figurative expressions in English, animal terms and body terms when they are used figuratively to denote personal types, characters or their behaviors have been collected and classified. Many and various examples from verse works from Old English through the 17th century and the series of animal fable poems in the 19th century, demonstrate the structural aspect of metaphor: synonymous, antonymous and hierarchical relationships among the literal meanings of the words are preserved in their metaphorical meanings. The results testify that parallel structures or corresponding patterns of synonymous groups and anonymous pairs in their metaphorical uses exist among the names of bugs and insects, birds, beasts and marine life.
We have published 19 articles on metaphorical uses of animal or body terms used in Beowulf, Shakespeare, Paradise Lost, to name a few, and translated six animal fable poems, which will be gathered together and revised for publication.

Free Research Field

歴史言語学