sensation words in the thai language:metaphoric transfers and people's consciousness

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23520670
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: MIYAMOTO Marasri 大阪大学, 言語文化研究科(研究院), 教授 (00200212)
• Research Collaborator: PEWPORCHAI Passapong タイのウボンラーチャターニー大学, 人文学部, 教員 ; BURANAPATANA Maliwan タイのコーンケーン大学, 人文社会学部, 助教授 ; SIRIWATANANAWIN Wirat タイのシラパコーン大学, 文学部, 教員
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: タイ語表現 / 五感の言葉 / 視覚語 / 味覚語 / 触覚語 / 嗅覚後 / 聴覚語 / 比喩

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The results of this study indicate that in the Thai language there occur many cases of the metaphoric transfer of sensation words. For “synaesthetic metaphors”( metaphoric transfer present between words describing different sensations), that have been found to occur between <sight⇔taste>, <sight→olfactory>, <sight→auditory>, <touch→sight>, <touch→taste>, <touch⇔auditory>, <taste⇔olfactory>, <taste→auditory>, the directions of transfers are not always one-way, as supported by previous research. In addition, it has been found that many sensation words have been developed to describe the states of people or things, people’s thoughts, feelings and emotions etc., and these metaphoric transfers have in fact been found to be more numerous than the occurrences of “synaesthetic metaphors”. It is through the studying and understanding of these metaphorically transferred meanings that inferences can be made about Thai people’s values and consciousness.

Free Research Field

社会言語学