Colors as Conceptual Metaphors of

Emotions in English and Thai:

A Cognitive Linguistics in Focus

Assoc.Prof.Chatchawadee Saralamba, Ph.D

Thammasat University
Bangkok, Thailand

Aims of the study

To investigate the relationship between

colors and emotions through English and
Thai

To study the conceptualization of

emotions through language and culture

Basic Assumptions

Language and cognition

Language is a window onto cognition;

linguistic expression in part refects cognitive
process and structures.

The linkage of conceptual metaphor

Conceptual metaphor systematically links

metaphorical expressions to underlying conce
ptual metaphors by positing conceptual mappi
ngs between two conceptual domains.

Topics of Presentation

Conceptual Metaphor in Cognitive

Linguistics

Emotions and Conceptual Metaphor

Colors as Emotion Conceptual

Metaphors in English vs. Thai

The Conceptualization of Emotion

Conceptual Metaphors

Conceptual Metaphor in
Cognitive Linguistics

What is metaphor?

A fgure of speech: one thing is compared to

another.

What is (conceptual) metaphor in

Cognitive Linguistics?

The generalizations governing, metaphorical

language are not in language, but in thought; th
ey are general mappings across conceptual do
mains. (Lakoff, G. & M. Johnson, 1980)

Emotions Concepts

Emotions are our feelings, extras in

Psychology, like perception, thinking and le
arning

Emotions are in our bodies as tingles, hot

spots and muscular tension. There are cog
nitive aspects, but the physical sensation is
what makes them really different.

Primary
emotion

Secondary emotion

Affection
Love
Lust
Longing

Cheerfulness

Joy

Zest
Contentment
Pride
Optimism
Enthrallment
Relief

Surprise

Surprise

Tertiary emotions
Adoration, affection, love,
fondness, liking, attraction, caring,
tenderness, compassion,
sentimentality
Arousal, desire, lust, passion,
infatuation
Longing
Amusement, bliss, cheerfulness,
gaiety, glee, jolliness, joviality, joy,
delight, enjoyment, gladness,
happiness, jubilation, elation,
satisfaction, ecstasy, euphoria
Enthusiasm, zeal, zest,
excitement, thrill, exhilaration
Contentment, pleasure
Pride, triumph
Eagerness, hope, optimism
Enthrallment, rapture
Relief
Amazement, surprise,
astonishment

Anger

Sadness

Irritation

Aggravation, irritation, agitation,

annoyance, grouchiness, grumpiness

Exasperation

Exasperation, frustration

Rage

Anger, rage, outrage, fury, wrath, hostility,

ferocity, bitterness, hate, loathing, scorn,
spite, vengefulness, dislike, resentment

Disgust

Disgust, revulsion, contempt

Envy

Envy, jealousy

Torment

Torment

Suffering

Agony, suffering, hurt, anguish

Sadness

Depression, despair, hopelessness,

gloom, glumness, sadness, unhappiness,
grief, sorrow, woe, misery, melancholy

Disappointment

Dismay, disappointment, displeasure

Shame

Guilt, shame, regret, remorse

Neglect

Alienation, isolation, neglect, loneliness,

rejection, homesickness, defeat,
dejection, insecurity, embarrassment,
humiliation, insult

Sympathy

Pity, sympathy

Horror

Alarm, shock, fear, fright, horror, terror,

panic, hysteria, mortification

Nervousness

Anxiety, nervousness, tenseness,

uneasiness, apprehension, worry,
distress, dread

Fear

Conceptual Metaphor and

Emotion

What is Conceptual Metaphor?

A coherent organization of experience, in

terms of source domain and target domain.
A conceptual metaphor is defned as
understanding a more abstract conceptual d
omain in terms of a less abstract and more
concrete domain.

Source domain concrete

Target domain - abstract

Conceptual Metaphor and

Emotion

How do we understand emotions?

By colors.

A kind of natural phenomenon.

Colors convey different messages to people in

different cultures.

Colors source domain

Emotion- target domain

Colors as emotion conceptual

metaphors in English

Red Anger

To see red = lose ones temper; become

suddenly angry

My boss saw red when I told him that I would not

be coming to work today.

Red Embarrassment

Red in the face

I became red in the face when the teacher asked

me a question.

Blue Sadness, depression

Have the blues = to be sad or depressed

To get the blues = to become sad or

depressed

The man next door seems to have the blues.

The dull cloudy weather has caused me to get the

blues.

To look/feel blue = look/feel sad, depressed.

She is feeling blue today.

Green Envy

Green with envy = to be very jealous, to be

full of envy

I was green with envy when I heard that my cousin

would be going to London for a week.

Green-eyed monster = jealousy

The woman was consumed by the green-eyed

monster and it was affecting her life.

Pink Joy

Tickled pink = to be very pleased or delighted

by someone or something

My mother was tickled pink that you visited her

you were in town.

Whitewhen
Fear

As white as a ghost = very pale because of fear

or shock of illness

My sister became as white as a ghost when she

saw the man at the window.

Brown Bored (under annoyance)

To be browned off = to be bored, fed up

Im browned off with this place. There

is nothing to do here.

English Colors for emotions

Colors as emotion conceptual

metaphors in Thai
Structure of expression

The combinations of body part + color

Body parts can be / na / face and /taa/

eye

Colors as emotion conceptual

metaphors in Thai

Red /daeng/ anger, embarrassment and

joy: with face

na daeng = to have red face

khaw krot con na daeng

he - angry-till- face-red
Hes got a red face.

khw hua-r con na daeng

he - laugh - till- face red

/taa daeng/ sadness = to have red eye

Green /khiw/ is for anger: with body part /

na/ face and /taa/ eye

taa khiw

eye-green

khw mOOng taa khiw

he - look - eye- green

He looked (at me) with green eyes.

na khiw

face-green

khw krot con na khiw

He is angry until his face turns green.

White /khaw/ Fear, anxiety

/na sit khaw/

face-pale-white

pale and white face

Black /dam/ sadness.

It follows the word /na/ face

/ na dam/ black face sadness

khw kht mak con na dam khrm-krat
he-think-much-until-face-black-serious
He thought seriously, his face turned black.

Anger with /naa-dam na daeng/ black

and red face , for disputation.

me- kha thing kan

daeng

na dam na

seller - dispute -each other-face-black-facered

The sellers had a disputation, they are angry

very much.

Colorless fear

na thot sii/ - colorless on face

Thai colors for emotions

The conceptualization of Emotion

Conceptual Metaphors by Colors, Englis
h vs. Thai

EMOTION IS A FLUID IN A
CONTAINER

Human body is a container for emotion

Emotion is a fuid in the container

Increase the level of pressure stands for

emotion

Becoming any emotion is becoming color

Color for emotion

ANGER IS RED

EMOTION IS A FLUID IN A
CONTAINER

Human body is a container for Emotion

Anger is a fuid in the container

Increase the level of pressure stands for

Anger

Becoming angry is becoming red

Color for Emotion

Emotion is Color

Similarities and Differences

between English and Thai

Human body as a container

English : overall embodiment

Thai focuses on specifc part of human

body, as they can be face or eyes. This con
cerns culturally specifc embodiment, a pa
rticular emotion established a convention
al cultural correlation between a body org
an and a certain conceptualization of an e
motion concept.

Conclusion

Our conceptual system of emotions is

organized metaphorically and carries their
cognitive characteristics and cultural value
s, and refects self-similarity of the languag
e and culture.

References:

Evans, Vyvyan and Melanie Green. 2006.

Cognitive
Linguistics: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edi
nburgh University Press.

Kovecses, Z. 2002. Metaphor: A Practical

Introduction. New
York: Oxford University Press.

Kovecses, Z. 2003. Metaphor and Emotion:

Language, Culture and Body in Human
Mind. New York: Cambridge

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