Conceptual Metaphor of Happiness and Sadness in Thai: A Cognitive Linguistics Approach
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Abstract
The comparative study of linguistic expressions that convey happiness and sadness offers valuable insights into the conceptual system of language users within a given society. This research aims to elucidate the conceptual system of Thai speakers through an analysis of linguistic expressions functioning as conceptual metaphors for happiness and sadness in the Thai language. The data are drawn from literary works that received the Southeast Asian Writers Award (S.E.A. Write Award) and were published between 1979 and 2023. The analysis is grounded in cognitive linguistic frameworks, including Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Prototype Theory, Image Schema, and Construal Theory, in conjunction with theoretical perspectives on the emotions of happiness and sadness. The findings reveal five conceptual metaphors of happiness—HAPPINESS IS LIGHT, HAPPINESS IS UP, HAPPINESS IS LIQUID, HAPPINESS IS PROPERTY, and HAPPINESS IS FOOD—and four conceptual metaphors of sadness—SADNESS IS DARKNESS, SADNESS IS DOWN, SADNESS IS LIQUID, and SADNESS IS FOOD. The analysis demonstrates that these conceptual metaphors reflect systematic mappings between domains of experience, thereby uncovering the underlying conceptual organization of Thai speakers. Overall, the study provides linguistic evidence for the cognitive mechanisms through which Thai people conceptualize emotional experiences.
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