What Creature am I to You?
The Conceptual Metaphor MEN ARE ANIMALS in Thai Public Discourses
Keywords:
animal metaphors, MEN, public discourse, drama scripts, pop songsAbstract
This article aimed to analyze how the conceptual metaphor [MEN ARE ANIMALS] in Thai public discourse reflects how men are viewed in Thai society. Data was collected from 45 drama scripts and 1,002 pop songs. The findings revealed that the animal metaphors used to refer to men could be divided into eight types: MEN ARE UNTAMED ANIMALS, MEN ARE BLOOD SUCKING/CLINGING ANIMALS, MEN ARE PREDATORS, MEN ARE HARMLESS/ DISGUSTING ANIMALS, MEN ARE DOMESTIC ANIMALS, MEN ARE POISONOUS ANIMALS, MEN ARE PREY, and MEN ARE WILD ANIMALS respectively. These conceptual metaphors reflect various views towards men, which are 1) men cause trouble to others, 2) men are dependent upon women or others, 3) men commit violent acts on women or others, 4) powerless or undignified men are considered unmanly, 5) men can easily be deceived and manipulated by women or others, 6) men are cunning, untrustworthy, flirtatious and unfaithful, 7) men can be victims of women or others, and 8) good-looking men with high sexual desire are considered manly. Furthermore, it was found that people in Thai society tend to compare humans to household pets. Most of the metaphors found from the data were conventional, reflecting the reproduction of old concepts and views towards men in Thai society.
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