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Article published In:
Metaphor Variation in Englishes around the World
Edited by Marcus Callies and Alexander Onysko
[Cognitive Linguistic Studies 4:1] 2017
► pp. 131–158

Metaphors of womanhood in the literary works of contemporary Indian writers

| Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
| Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
| Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
This study examines the notion of womanhood in the literary works of contemporary Indian authors by analyzing conceptual metaphors of womanhood. More specifically, the data collected in this study are metaphorical expressions (MEs) from nine fictional works set in India’s three main ethnically and linguistically diverse regions occupied by three linguistic groups, namely, the Indo-Aryan, the Dravidian, and the Tibeto-Burmese. The identification of MEs follows the Metaphor Identification Procedure VU University Amsterdam (MIPVU; Steen et al. 2010a). The analysis focuses on cross-cultural variation in conceptual metaphor, applying Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT; Lakoff & Johnson 1980) and the cognitive dimension of socio-cultural diversity proposed by Kövecses (2008). Through the analysis of conceptual metaphor, the paper provides insights into the current social context regarding the status and roles of women in India.
Keywords: conceptual metaphor, metaphors in India, metaphor variation, metaphor identification, womanhood, Indian writing in English (IWE), English in India
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Selection of literary works
    • 3.2Identification of metaphorical linguistic expressions
    • 3.3Analysis of conceptual metaphors of womanhood
      • 3.3.1Conceptual Metaphor Theory
      • 3.3.2Cognitive dimensions of socio-cultural variation
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Source domains used to conceptualize womanhood
    • 4.2Dimensions of metaphor variation
      • 4.2.1Generic-level metaphor functioning at a culture-specific level
      • 4.2.2Variation in the use of source and target domain
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 16 October 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/cogls.4.1.07ahu
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