LOVE METAPHORS IN Introduction MODERN THAI SONGS In everyday life, metaphors form an 1 important component of our Pattra Ngamjitwongsakul communicative repertoire. Metaphors structure our understanding of one thing in Abstract terms of another. Metaphors are found not only in everyday language but also in This paper examines the love metaphors poetry and modern Thai songs, especially used by contemporary Thai songwriters in songs whose main theme is “love”. Love is their modern Thai songs. The theoretical an important emotion which we can easily framework for the study is the theory of share with songwriters and has many conceptual metaphor (Lakoff, 1987, 1993; shades of meaning. Love is not clearly Lakoff and Johnson, 1980; Lakoff and defined in our experience and may be Turner, 1989). The data, approximately inconceivable without the use of metaphors 3,615 songs from Grammy Entertainment (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980: 85). It is not Company, were collected from books, tapes, surprising that songwriters express their and the internet and were compiled from feelings and emotions about “love” through 1983 to 2000. Only 502 metaphorical metaphors. The metaphor may be the expressions describing love were found. occasion for our experience of love, but it is also an essential tool for creating a This research revealed that the songwriters comprehensive rhetorical and poetic intend to convey far more than the surface language. According to Prasit Karpklon in meaning of their words. The theory of Language and Thought (2532: 145), conceptual metaphor helps to explain the metaphors can stimulate the imagination correspondences between a source domain and create emotions in our minds more and a target domain (love). Love metaphors effectively than ordinary language. allow us to comprehend love in terms of more clearly delineated concepts. In this Metaphor is so widely used that we hardly study, twenty-two concepts were found which notice it. Lakoff and Turner (1989) have the songwriters use to conceptualize “love”. explained metaphor in our everyday I also found that the abstract concept of language as follows: “love” can generally be understood in terms of image schema. This is where “love” is Metaphor is a tool so ordinary that described with reference to physical objects we use it unconsciously and and spatial relations. The conceptual automatically, with so little effort metaphors reflect a schema of love as that we hardly notice it . . . CONTAINER, PART-WHOLE, SOURCE-PATH- metaphor suffuses our thoughts, GOAL, and LINK. no matter what we are thinking about. It is accessible to everyone: as children, we automatically, as a matter of course, acquire a mastery of everyday metaphor. It is conventional: metaphor is an integral part of our ordinary 1 Graduate student at Mahidol University. everyday thought and language. (xi)
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Love Metaphors in Modern Thai Songs
Metaphor permeates our thought and LOVE IS A JOURNEY speech, as a medium by which we make sense of our experiences and of our Look how far we’ve come. relationship with our surroundings. It We’re at a crossroads. seems that metaphors “have become so We’ll just have to go our separate much a part of everyday use” (Ong and ways. Govindasamy-Ong, 1996: 21) that the We can’t turn back now. reasons metaphors are so pervasive are I don’t think this relationship is going because they allow users to express all they anywhere. want in a very few words and to display Where are we? their talent or virtuosity with words (Green, We’re stuck. 1989: 122). Moreover, users choose to use It’s been a long, bumpy road. This relationship is a dead-end street. to employ indirectness (i.e., metaphor), We’re just spinning our wheels. because they are otherwise unable to Our marriage is on the rocks. express certain concepts (e.g., emotions) We’ve gotten off the track. which are beyond their understanding or This relationship is foundering. are inexpressible (Thomas, 1995: 122). Consider, for example, the metaphor “Love (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980: 44-45) is fire.” Fire produces heat, which makes us warm but sometimes burns us. Similarly, In the examples above, love is structured by love can make us both happy and sad. As the concept of a journey. These everyday another example, with the expression “I English expressions are used for reasoning was magnetically drawn to her” (Lakoff about love. The metaphor can be and Johnson, 1980: 49), the speaker understood as a mapping exercise from a expresses his or her emotion in terms of a source domain (in this case, JOURNEYS) to a physical force. One domain can easily be target domain (in this case, LOVE). Entities understood by reference to another domain in the domain of LOVE correspond which is more familiar to our systematically to entities in the domain of a understanding. JOURNEY (Lakoff, 1993: 207, 208). The lovers are travellers on a journey together, Lakoff and Johnson (1980) point out that with their common life goals seen as “Since metaphorical expressions in our destinations to be reached. The relationship language are tied to metaphorical concepts is their vehicle, and it allows them to in a systematic way, we can use expressions pursue common goals together. The to study the nature of metaphorical concepts relationship is seen as fulfilling its purpose and to gain an understanding of the only if it allows them to make progress metaphorical nature of our activities” (7). toward their common goals. The journey is The metaphorical concept LOVE IS A not easy because there are impediments or JOURNEY is reflected in a wide variety of crossroads where decisions have to be expressions: made about which direction to go in and whether to keep travelling together. These JOURNEY metaphors do not all fit a single consistent image because of the various types of journey involved: a car trip, a train trip, or a sea voyage. Lakoff and Johnson (1980: 45) assert that such metaphors are,
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MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities Vol.8 No.2 (2005)
nevertheless, coherent because they are all songwriters imply that the failure of a love JOURNEY metaphors. relationship is a valuable experience that we should remember in the same way that As in contemporary English, the we memorize our lessons. We can learn metaphorical concept of “love” appears in from our mistakes. modern Thai songs. As mentioned above, metaphors penetrate our thoughts and Conceptual metaphors for “love” are so language. Songwriters use metaphors to pervasive in modern Thai songs that we ensure that the audience understands the may fail to notice them. There has never concept of “love” expressed in their songs. been a study which thoroughly examines We can analyze the concepts of love metaphors in modern Thai songs from a according to the theory of conceptual cognitive point of view. I expect this study metaphor developed by Lakoff (1987, to provide valuable insight into the 1993), Lakoff and Johnson (1980) and correspondence between the domain of Lakoff and Turner (1989) on the basis of love experience and other domains of such metaphorical expressions for love that experience. The research will also appear in modern Thai songs. Here are contribute to our understanding of how the some examples of the conceptual metaphorical concept of “love” is expressed metaphors in songs. from Thai songwriters’ perspectives. Finally, this study will be beneficial to Example 1: further cognitive semantics.
รักเปนเชนใด อยากไดเรียนไดลอง ฉันจึงเชื่อใจใหเธอ The theory of conceptual metaphor เปนคนสอนฉัน ทุกวันฉันเรียนอานหัวใจของเธอ ฉันจึง ไดเจอกับบทเรียนทรมาน The metaphor has traditionally been viewed as a device of literary or rhetorical work - a matter of poetic language. However, “What is love? I want to learn so I can Lakoff and Johnson (1980: 3) found that trust you to teach me. Every day I learn to metaphor is not just a matter of language read your heart, but I find it only a painful but extends to thought and reason. They lesson.” explain that our conceptual system plays an important role in defining our everyday Example 2: realities. Our conceptual system is largely metaphorical; therefore, the way we นี่หรือคือการตอบแทนของคนที่รักและไวใจ นาขอบใจที่ perceive the world should likewise be เธอใหบทเรียนนี้ structured by metaphors. For example, the abstract concept “love” is treated as a “Is this a reward from one whom I love journey in the English language, LOVE IS A and trust? Thank you for giving me the JOURNEY, as mentioned previously in the lesson.” introduction. That is, the concept “love” is metaphorically understood in terms of These are examples of metaphors used by another concept, “a journey”. Metaphor is songwriters conceptualize “love” in terms not used in the literal sense but expresses a of a lesson. The conceptual metaphor LOVE similarity between a source domain and a AS A LESSON is a common one used by target domain. The LOVE AS JOURNEY contemporary Thai songwriters. The mapping is a set of correspondences
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Love Metaphors in Modern Thai Songs
between the love relationship and various the source domain and knowledge about the types of journey. The conceptual metaphor target domain. Lakoff (1993: 208) LOVE IS A JOURNEY is one way that English describes the epistemic correspondences people conceive “love” in their culture. In between the JOURNEY domain and the different cultures, people may view “love” LOVE domain as the follows: differently; so their conceptual metaphors may also vary. Source domain: Two travellers are in a vehicle, travelling toward common Ontological and epistemic destinations. correspondences Target domain: Two lovers are in a love Lakoff (1987: 386) states that conceptual relationship, pursuing common life goals. metaphor consists of a set of correspondences between a source domain Source domain: The vehicle encounters and a target domain. The correspondences some impediment and gets stuck. can be divided into two types: ontological and epistemic. Ontological correspondences Target domain: The relationship encounters are those made between the entities in the some difficulty, which makes it disfunctional. source domain and the corresponding entities in the target domain. For example, in Source domain: If the travelers do nothing, the LOVE IS A JOURNEY metaphor, the they will not reach their destinations. journey in the source domain corresponds to the love relationship in the target domain. Target domain: If the two lovers do Lakoff (1993: 207) characterizes a set of nothing, they will not be able to achieve ontological correspondences between the their life goals. JOURNEY domain and the LOVE domain. Glucksberg and McGlone (1999: 1545) The human conceptual system includes an illustrate this as in figure 1. inventory of the structure of our knowledge of journeys and our ability to map from that structured knowledge to a conception of love. The structure of our knowledge of LOVE JOURNEY journeys can be seen as having well-
lovers travelers differentiated components such as travelers, a starting point, a path, impediments, relationship vehicles destinations, vehicles, companions, and so
common goals destinations on. Lakoff and Turner (1989: 61) call the structured knowledge in such a skeletal problems obstacles form “a conceptual schema”. They have also employed the term “slots” for elements of a schema that are to be filled in. For Figure 1: Hypothetical mappings example, a TRAVELLER is a slot in a between the domains of love and JOURNEY schema. The metaphor LOVE IS A journeys JOURNEY is a mapping of the structure of the JOURNEY schema onto the domain of Epistemic correspondences consist of LOVE in such a way as to set up the correspondences between knowledge about appropriate correspondences between
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TRAVELLERS and LOVERS, between The LOVE AS TRANSPORTATION metaphor STARTING POINT and INITIATION OF THE can be individually illustrated as follows. RELATIONSHIP, and so on. The LOVE AS CAR mapping Lakoff and Turner (1989: 65) continue by noting conceptual schemas establish our I found five metaphors in which knowledge. They constitute cognitive songwriters conceptualize love as a car. models that we use in comprehending our This metaphorical concept is utilized in experience and in explaining it. Cognitive four Thai songs. models are acquired by our own direct experience and through our culture. They Example 3: are used unconsciously and automatically. We can not observe them directly. Lakoff เกิดมาแลวไมเสียชาติเกิด ที่ยังมีเธอขางกาย ขาดเธอแลว and Turner (1989: 66) insist that the จะหาอะไหลก็คงไมมี cognitive models can be described on the basis of metaphorical mappings. “I don’t regret being born in this world
because you stand beside me. You are a Identifying the ontological and spare which I couldn’t find if you were epistemic correspondences in modern absent.” Thai songs Example 4: Both ontological and epistemic correspondences are revealed in modern รอเวลามารักกัน เดี๋ยวนานๆ จะหมดไฟ รักเหมือนเปน Thai songs. I will begin by presenting correspondences forming the LOVE AS รถดวน ตองเร็วนะ จอดไวก็เทานั้น ดูๆ ไปถาใจนั้น TRANSPORTATION metaphor. The ตรงกัน ไมตองเลยรีบออกไป songwriters map knowledge about transportation onto knowledge about love. “Hurry up and come to love each other There are three kinds of transportation that before our enthusiasm is exhausted. Love songwriters use in making metaphors: LOVE is like an express car. It is useless if it is IS A CAR, LOVE IS A TRAIN and LOVE IS A dead. If our hearts are the same, we’d SHIP. Although the three metaphors form no better develop our relationship.” single image, they are coherent with each other since they are all TRANSPORTATION Example 5: metaphors (see figure 2). กอนจะยอมใหเรื่องเราจบ ตองทบทวนนิดนึงเกี่ยวกับใจ TRANSPORTATION ผูหญิงคนหนึ่งที่ยับและเยินจนพัง อยากใหเธอลองนึกดีๆ กับสิ่งที่เธอทําเฉย อยาไดชนแลวหนีไปเลย . . . เธอตอง
Train ชดใชมาตามราคา Car Ship “Before ending our relationship, you should think about a woman’s heart. It has shattered into pieces. I would like you to Figure 2: LOVE AS TRANSPORTATION consider all the things you do. Don’t be negligent! Don’t run away after hitting my
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Love Metaphors in Modern Thai Songs
heart . . . You must compensate for the In examples (5) and (6), the epistemic cost of repairs.” correspondence is as follows:
Example 6: Source domain: When the car accident occurs, it does a lot of damage to the car. ใจใครโดนชนเรามีคนซอมแซมกันได Target domain: When the love relationship ends, it causes emotional damage to the “If one’s heart is hit, we will have a lovers. mechanic repair it.” The metaphorical expressions ชน ‘hit’ and ใจ In examples (3), (4), (5), and (6), the ใครโดนชน ‘one’s heart is hit’ can be ontological correspondences between the diagramed below. source domain CAR and the target domain LOVE are as follows:
Two lovers correspond to spare parts. one’s heart be hit
The love relationship corresponds to a
car. person emotional damage METONYMY METAPHOR The common goals correspond to destinations. The expression หัวใจ ‘heart’ stands for a
The problems correspond to a car person. The expression ชน ‘hit’ is accident. metaphorically understood as emotional damage. The metaphorical expressions ชน In the example (3), the epistemic ‘hit’ and ใจใครโดนชน ‘one’s heart is hit’ correspondence for the metaphorical refer to the sadness caused by love. expression อะไหล ‘spare’ is as follow: In example (6), the epistemic Source domain: A car consists of spare correspondence is as follows: parts so the car can run. Source domain: A car can be repaired. Target domain: The love relationship can only be built if two lovers are involved. Target domain: A lover’s sick heart gradually heals as time passes. In example (4), the epistemic correspondence for the metaphorical The metaphorical expression ซอมแซม expression รักเหมือนเปนรถดวน “love is an ‘repair’ can be diagramed this way: express car’ is as follows:
Source domain: An express car cannot delay.
Target domain: Love cannot wait.
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one can repair heart domain TRAIN and the target domain LOVE are as follows:
Two lovers correspond to a train one healing person driver and a passenger. LITERAL METAPHOR METONYMY The love relationship corresponds to a The expression ซอมแซม ‘repair’ is train. metaphorically described as being healed. The common goals correspond to a The expression หัวใจ ‘heart’ stands for a destination. person. The metaphorical expression ใจใคร The epistemic correspondences are as โดนชน เรามีคนซอมแซมกันได ‘if one’s heart is follows: hit, we will have a mechanic repair it’ refers to a broken heart which will Source domain: A train runs to its gradually heal as time passes. destination.
The LOVE AS TRAIN mapping Target domain: Two lovers are involved in the relationship and pursue common life I found three metaphors in which goals. songwriters conceptualize love as a train. This metaphorical concept is reflected in Source domain: The train driver shunts a the following passage from a modern Thai train so a passenger will miss it. song. Target domain: One of the lovers betrays Example 7: another, so they will not reach a common destination. มีใครตอใครวาเธอจะเปลี่ยนไป เราดันไมฟงอะไรเลย ใครๆ ก็เตือนวาเธอจะสับราง เรายังไมฟงมันตามเคย . . . The metaphorical expression สับราง ‘shunt ชัดมั๊ยวาเธอกําลังสบรางั ทําไม ทําไม ทําไม ทําไม เขา a train’ is diagramed below. เตือนเทาไร ก็ยังไมฟง ไมเคยระวงระวัง ไมเคยระแวง shunt a train ไวใจทุกอยาง ใครเตือนไมฟงเลยถูกหลอก
“Everybody told me that you would betray me. I ignored the warning. Everybody change love relationship warned me that you would shunt the train onto another track. I didn’t believe it as LITERAL METAPHOR usual . . . Is it clear that you are changing tracks? I will miss the train. Why didn’t I The expression สับ ‘shunt’ denotes “change”. believe the warning? I doubted the The expression ราง ‘train’ metaphorically warning and also trusted you, but you describes the love relationship. The deceived me.” metaphorical expression สับราง ‘shunt a train’ In example (7), the ontological refers to infidelity betrayal. correspondences between the source
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Source domain: The passengers miss the sinks near the bank. Love is destroyed, train. and we are now at a crossroad. The rift between us grows and widens. Our lives Target domain: One of the lovers knows are split into two ways.” of the other’s betrayal; the relationship cannot continue. In example (8), the ontological correspondences are: The metaphorical expression ตกราง ‘miss a train’ is diagramed below. The lovers correspond to ship.
one miss a train The common goals correspond to bank.
The epistemic correspondence is: one fail/ lose love relationship Source domain: The ship sank before it arrived at its destination. LITERAL LITERAL METAPHOR Target domain: Two lovers cannot The expression ตก ‘miss’ denotes “fail” or continue their love relationship towards “lose” and the expression ราง ‘train’ their common life goals such as a united metaphorically describes the love family. relationship. The metaphorical expression ตกราง ‘miss a train’ refers to a discontinued The metaphorical expression เหมือนเรือลมใกล relationship. ฝง ‘the ship sinks near the bank’ can be illustrated this way: The LOVE AS SHIP mapping ship sink near bank There is a metaphor in which the songwriter conceptualizes love as a shipwreck. This metaphorical concept is reflected in the following Thai song: lovers end not far common goals
Example 8: METAPHOR LITERAL METAPHOR
เหมือนตะวันจากฟา เหมือนนกลาจากรัง เหมือนเรือลม The expression เรือ ‘ship’ metaphorically ใกลฝง รักมาพังทลาย เหมือนมาถึงทางแยก เหมือนรอย describes the two lovers. The expression ราวเริ่มแตก เหมือนชีวิตเริ่มแหลกแตกเปนสองทางตางกัน ลม ‘sink’ metaphorically means “end” คงเหมือนฉันและเธอมาพบเจอ รักกันแตเพียงไมนานวัน while the expression ฝง ‘bank’ is รักถึงวันรางราไมมีทางกลับคืน metaphorically understood as a common goal. The metaphorical expression เหมือนเรือ
“We meet and love each other. Not so ลมใกลฝง ‘the ship sinks near the bank’ long, love is gone, and it cannot be refers to the ending of a relationship close revived. Similarly, the sun sets from the to reaching a common goal. sky. The birds leave their nest. The boat
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Love relationships have a starting point the subcategorization LOVE IS AN and endpoint; similarly, vehicles (cars, EMOTION and by links to other trains and ships) leave one point, then emotions, e.g., liking. This is proceed towards their destinations. As this typical of emotional concepts, relationship is easily understood, love can which are not clearly delineated be metaphorically viewed as vehicles in our experience in any direct travelling along a path. fashion and therefore must be comprehended primarily indirectly, Metaphor is actually based on our physical via metaphor (1980: 85). experience and our relationship with the external world. It is an intermediary Metaphors or metaphorical concepts as between our conceptual representation of defined by Lakoff and Johnson allow us to the world and our sensory experience of the comprehend the concept of “love” using world. Metaphor is also organized in terms of a more clearly delineated concept. conceptual systems. This organization of a Lakoff and Johnson (1980: 84) also identify conceptual system forms a cognitive map the generalization of metaphors as follows: of one domain of experience to another domain, so that one domain can be Metaphor should deal with two different understood through another domain which kinds of activities. For example, with LOVE is somehow more basic or concrete. In IS A JOURNEY, love involves emotions, but other words, a more abstract domain is a journey involves travelling. explained in terms of conventional mental images (Lakoff and Turner, 1989: 91), as in Metaphor partially structures our everyday the above examples where concepts of concepts. “Love” is partially structured in “love” are related to concepts of “journey.” terms of “a journey”. Only selected Lakoff and Turner (1989: 94) state that the elements of the concept are used to source domain may be mapped onto the correspond to. target domain in order to create an image in the target domain. Thus, metaphor is used Metaphor involves understanding one for explaining an abstraction. domain of experience. Here, “love” is expressed in terms of a very different The notion of metaphorical concept, domain of experience. It is based on human experience which determines properties and LOVE similarities between the source and target domains. Lakoff and Johnson assert that “a Lakoff and Johnson (1980: 3) explained concept is structured by more than one that the human conceptual system which metaphor” (1980: 86). Lakoff and Turner plays a central role in defining everyday (1989: 89) add that various metaphors are realities, is metaphorical. It is reflected in related by commonplace knowledge that linguistic expressions. The way English links their source and target domains. speakers perceive “love” can be structured by metaphors. Metaphors do not form a single image, although they are coherent with one another Moreover, Lakoff and Johnson say, by virtue of being subcategories of a major category and therefore sharing a major The concept of LOVE has a core common entailment (Lakoff and Johnson, that is minimally structured by 1980: 44). For instance, in the LOVE IS A
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JOURNEY metaphor, English speakers use แยกทาง มันก็คงไมตางจากใจฉัน different means of travel (vehicles) to “One day you will explain a love relationship. These understand the reason metaphors are not consistent; however, why I have told you to they are coherent with each other because part from me. I feel as they are all JOURNEY metaphors. A love much pain as you feel relationship corresponds to various when we have to go our vehicles in the LOVE IS A JOURNEY separate ways.” mapping. “Vehicles” are a superordinate หมากเกมนี้ฉันก็รูวาจะตองลงเอย category that includes such basic level categories as “car, “train” and “boat”. อยางไร ไมตองรอใหจบเกม ฉันก็ Lakoff (1993: 212) explains that mappings พรอมจะยอมตัดใจ are at the superordinate rather than the 2. Games “I know how the game of basic level. The basic level is the level of chess will end. You will rich mental images and rich knowledge not have to wait until the structure. A mapping at the superordinate game ends. I am ready to level maximizes the possibilities for part from you.” mapping rich conceptual structures in the เมื่อใดความรักเดนชนไมิ ยอมหล ีก ก็ source domain onto the target domain. คงไดลุนกันอีกสกครั ั้ง . . . รักมัน In the present case, love metaphors เดินลยผุ านตรงเขากลางหัวใจ รักมัน likewise allow us to comprehend love in ยังคลบคลานและรื ุกรานเรอยไปื่ terms of more clearly delineated concepts. “Whenever love walks 3. Person In the modern Thai songs I examined, I towards us and doesn’t found 502 metaphorical expressions used step aside, it causes great to describe love, which were structured by excitement . . . Love a number of very different domains of walks straight to our experience. In all, twenty-two different heart. It gradually creeps concepts were used to conceptualize love. towards us.” While the limited space does not permit บอกหนอยทาไมํ ฝนจึงหลั่งไหล the presentation of the individual analyses, the concepts themselves are given in คลายดังนาตา้ํ เจบปวดส็ งใดิ่ บอก figure 3 along with representative หนอยเถิดหนา ลมพัดพานาตาฟ้ํ ามา examples. จากไหน หรือแสงตะวันไดพลนจากั
Figure 3: The metaphorical concept of ลา ฟาจงมึ ืดไป เหมือนรักจากไกล love found in modern Thai songs 4. Natural แลวไมกลบคั ืน ฉันยืนเดียวดาย Elements “Why is the rainfall like (Sun) tears? Please tell me what Concepts Expressions hurts it. Where does the wind blow tears of sky? Since the sun sets and the อีกหนอยซึ่งคงไมนาน ถึงวันนั้นแลว sky gets dark, similarly, 1. Road เธอจะเขาใจที่ฉันตองบอกเธอใหจาก love leaves me far and กันไป เจ็บที่ใจเธอนั้น เมื่อเราตองตอง doesn’t return. I therefore stand alone here.”
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MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities Vol.8 No.2 (2005)
รักเปนเชนใด อยากไดเรียนไดลอง is just a nightmare, a ฉันจึงเชื่อใจใหเธอเปนคนสอนฉัน cloudy sky, or a thorn piercing my heart.” ทุกวันฉันเรียนอานหัวใจของเธอ ฉัน ตอกบัตรเขาไปรักเชาที เย็นอีกท ี จึงไดเจอกับบทเรียนทรมาน ฝกหัดกับรักตั้งเปนป ไมสนใจตอก 5. Education “What is love? I want to learn it, so I trust you will บัตรก็ตรงเปะ ทุมเทไปเทาไร . . . teach me. Everyday I ถาไมมอง ถาไมแคร ใหเธอโยนซอง learn to read your heart, ขาวมาเลย but I find only a painful “I punctually clock in and lesson.” 11. Business clock out every morning อยากมความรี ักวันนี้ใหนานเทานาน and evening. I have ความรักจะหวานตองเกิดเพราะไวใจ practiced making love to 6. Seasoning “Today I need love to last you for many years. You as long as it can. Because are not interested in me . . of trust, love is sweet.” . If you don’t care for me, บาดแผลของความรักนั้นโหดราย ฉีก you should hand over the white envelope.” 7. Furnishings ไวที่ใจฉันอยูนานแสนนานเพียงใด จบแลวละคร จากนี้คือตอนที่เราสอง (Kitchen “The wound from love has ตองเดินแยกทาง . . . รักนี้ไมมีทาง Utensil) badly scarred my heart for a long time.” เปนจริง 12. Drama เขาใจวาความรักเหมือนลมแรง ตอง “A drama is ended. From ปลอยใหมันไป ไมอาจกักขัง ไมอาจ now on both of us go our separate ways . . . Love เก็บไว รูเธอไมเหมือนเกา เมื่อสายลม couldn’t come true.” 8. Natural ตองไป เมื่อรักมันตองลา ตองใหไป ใจใครโดนชน เรามคนซี อมแซมกันได 13. Occurrences “I know that love is like a Transportation “If one’s heart is hit, we (Rain) strong wind. I have to let it (Car) will have a mechanic blow. It couldn’t be repair it.” restrained. I know that you อกหักกะทันหัน . . . มันเจ็บอก มัน have changed. Like a wind, love leaves me. I let it go.” ปวดใจ แทบเดินไมเปน เพราะโดน เก็บกอดดวงใจที่เธอทําลาย นี่ใจฉัน เธอเลนทีเผลอ เสยหายเสี ียหาย ถึงไม กรอน หัวใจออนๆ ราวรอนเมอรื่ ักโรยรา ตายก็โคมา 9. Plants “I hug my heart which you 14. Health “I am immediately broken (Flower) destroyed. It is weak and hearted . . . I have a pain in painful after love has my heart. I can hardly withered.” walk because you leave อดทนไว แคหนามมันตํามันแทงใจ me. I haven’t died yet but I am in a coma.” แคฝนที่เลวราย อดทนไว แคฟามัว รักเธอมั่นคงแนนอน ดุจดังทองทะเล 10. Dream 15. Terrain มันมืดมน แคคนท เคยรี่ ักเขาจากไป ที่ยังงดงาม “Be patient! When my Features “Like the beauty of the sea, darling parts from me, it (Sea) I consistently love you.”
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Love Metaphors in Modern Thai Songs
ใหเราลืมสงครามและอยากใหถาม “I have already realized ตัวเองดูสักที ถารักกันจริงจัง อยาก that love changes a cheerful person to a sad ใหรักเราดูดี อยามวทั ําอยางน ี้ตอกัน person. If I go on to let “We’d better forget the myself be intoxicated war between us. We 16. War with love, it will burn me should ask ourselves until I die.” once. If we still love each เปลยนแปลงี่ เรื่องมันแดงวาใจเธอ other and want our love relationship to last, we เปลยนไปจากเราี่ เมื่อเธอเจอเขานั้น shouldn’t fight against ยืนขางเธอ . . .รักของเราเปลี่ยนไป each other.” เปลยนแปลงราวกี่ ับเลนกล ก็เห็นมาตําตา หลักฐานก็มัดตัวทุก 20. Trick “Your secret is revealed. อยางวาเธอจะเหินหาง ก็เห็นไป Your heart betrays me. ควงใครเมื่อวาน . . . บอกเอาไว Now a new person stays beside you . . . Our love ให รีบมามอบตัว อยาใหฉันโกรธ relationship changes like มากไป ก็บอกดีๆ เธอก็คงเขาใจ a trick.” ยังไงก็คนรักกัน และถึงแมจะเหน อยจะทื่ อจะก าวไป “Yesterday I saw you อาจหกลมส ักนิดไมเป นไรเพราะวา strolling arm in arm with รักสวางอยูตรงกลางหัวใจ แคเพียง 17. Legality a woman. This evidence is enough to prove that เขาอยูในดวงใจฉัน “I am so tired and you are estranged from 21. Light me . . . You should disappointed but I keep immediately surrender stepping. Sometimes, I yourself to me. Don’t fall down. It doesn’t make me be very angry. matter since love is bright You may understand in my heart. My darling is what I have warned you. the only one in my heart.” We are still lovers.” ลืมตาหลับตา ตอไปนี้จะมีแตเธอ ฉันโอบกอดเธอดวยร ักและความ อยากเอารักไปมัดเธอไวไมใหหนี เขาใจ ฉันปอนความรักใหเธอมใจี “I either open or close 22. Bond แข็งแกรง my eyes. I love only you. Love ties you to me “I hug you with great 18. Food so you cannot escape affection. I feed love to from me.” you so that your heart is
strong.” These categories include mapping rich
conceptual structures in the source domain รูแลวครั้งนี้ รักคือตัวการทําคนเบิก onto the target domain. I find that these บานใหกลายเปนเศรา ขืนรักแลว basic levels of categorization already give a 19. Beverage หลงใหมันมอมเมา ก็โดนมันแผดเผา clear image of love and that to put these เจียนตาย categorizations into its superordination will lessen such images. Other metaphors are
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MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities Vol.8 No.2 (2005)
miscellaneous; they are not grouped into people say, “You wake out of a deep sleep any concepts as each has only one and peer out from beneath the covers into expression found in modern Thai songs. your room” (qtd. in Lakoff, 1987: 271). Also, they do not fit together by being This is an example of the embodiment of a subcategories of a major category and CONTAINER schema - a schema consisting sharing a major common entailment. of a boundary distinguishing an interior from an exterior. In this study, the In conclusion, concepts of love cannot be researcher also finds the conceptual expressed precisely but are best understood structure of “love” that which can be indirectly via metaphors. They are used for reflected in image schema. This is where explaining the concept “love” in terms of a “love” is understood in terms of physical familiar experience or concrete example. objects and spatial relations. How we The conceptual system plays an important understand the abstract concept of “love” in role in forming a cognitive map of one terms of CONTAINER, PART-WHOLE, domain of experience to another domain. SOURCE-PATH-GOAL and LINK schemas The conceptual system varies from culture will be explained in detail below. to culture (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980: 146). Therefore, people who have cultural The CONTAINER schema differences are likely to view the concept of love differently. We are normally aware of In modern Thai songs, songwriters describe a reflection of this conceptualization in the the abstract concept of “love” as an emotion way language is used. The analysis of the that unites two lovers. “Love” is also related concept “love” in English expressions to other emotions. People can perceive love presented by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) and love-related emotions with their heart. can equally be applied to expressions in Heart is an organ of the person’s body. It is a modern Thai songs. The researcher found center of the person’s thoughts and many Thai expressions used to structure emotions, especially love. According to our understanding of love in terms of Johnson (1987), parts of our bodies can be different concepts. These metaphors are viewed as containers for something. Just as imaginative and creative, and they are we can use an open container to put capable of giving us a new understanding something in. Love is, therefore, viewed as of the concept of love. Since Thai something found in a container such as a songwriters can certainly be classified as a heart or a box. For example: group of Thai language users, we can understand the metaphorical concepts Example 9: which songwriters use in conceptualizing love within a Thai cultural framework. เธอเติมความรักไวใหฉันรูสึก และยังซึมลึกขางในหวใจั เมื่ออยากจะพบเธอเพียงเฝามองออกไปยังฟาไกล Image schemas
“You present your love to me. It is Johnson (qtd. In Lakoff, 1987: 271) claims absorbed into my heart. When I want to that basic experience is structured in a meet you, I only look at the sky.” skeletal and schematic image. Johnson
(1987) calls this an “image schema”. All Heart is a place where lovers gather all experiences are obviously understood in their good and impressionable feelings. image schemas. As an example, in English
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Love Metaphors in Modern Thai Songs
Heart is viewed as a container, while love Songwriters describe the stages of a love is understood in terms of a physical object. relationship as a road, a game, a drama, business, education, transportation, and The PART-WHOLE schema plants. All these concepts reflect the beginning and ending of the love relationship While we consider our bodies as a whole and the passage of time since the two lovers with parts, we are also aware of the part- began their relationship. They spend time in whole structure of other objects. Heart is learning and understanding each other. The an important organ of the person’s body, songwriters compare this long period of time and it is also as a container for emotions. to the time required for the formation of a In modern Thai songs, songwriters usually canal, the growth of plants, and vaporization. use heart to stand for two lovers. For The schema can be diagramed in this way: instance: L 1 Example 10: Problems Separation Common Life Goal รักคืออะไร รักคืออะไร อยากเขาใจ อยากรูรักแลวเปนไง อยากคนดู จะดีรายเพียงใด อาจจะเปนไฟรอนแรงเขามา L 2 คอยเผาใจ อาจจะเปนสายน้ําเย็นเขามาชโลมใจ Temporal Dimension
“What is love? I want to know love. I will Figure 4: Love relationship discover whether it is good or not. It may be a fire that burns our heart. Otherwise, it Two lovers build their love relationship will be a cool stream that bathes our and then try to achieve their common life heart.” goals. Ultimately they will have to face problems in their love relationship. There Heart stands for two lovers. Fire and water are three alternatives for the couple. First, are metaphorically understood as love. the two lovers can solve the problems This metaphorical expression refers to the between them and continue on their path fact that love can bring sadness and to achieving common life goals. Second, happiness to a couple. the two lovers can remain in a disfunctional relationship and give up The SOURCE-PATH-GOAL schema achieving common life goals. Last, if they are unable to move through the When lovers start to build their love difficulties, they may abandon their relationship, they continue their relationship relationship without achieving their through various stages. The stages of a love common life goals. Each of them would relationship can be presented using the look for another person to build a love SOURCE-PATH-GOAL schema. A love relationship with and form new life goals. relationship consists of initial stage (source), a sequence of intermediate stages (path), and a The LINK schema final stage (goal). Two lovers start their relationship with the dream of achieving The umbilical cord is the first link common life goals. They have to face connecting infants to their biological problems in their love relationship. mothers. Similarly, love joins two people in
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MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities Vol.8 No.2 (2005)
a love relationship. It forms a link or a bond and systematic way. The songwriters use between the two. In modern Thai songs, only twenty-two concepts to conceptualize many metaphors describe the lovers’ bond “love”. These conceptual metaphors reflect in terms of a law, contract or profit the schemas of CONTAINER, PART-WHOLE, (economical bond), game rule or stake, SOURCE-PATH-GOAL, and LINK. In this social bond such as exists between students study, I rely on my personal knowledge and and teacher, rope, straw, ring, and chain. experience in analyzing metaphors and Therefore, love can be viewed using the interpreting them on the basis of their LINK schema. For example: context. The ability to interpret metaphors depends on individual differences in Example 11: cognitive and linguistic process.
ความรักนั้นคลายๆ กีฬา ทุกทุกคนก็มามาเลนกีฬาของ References หัวใจ หมดเวลาจะไปไหน ถาหากจิตใจคนเลนยังมี ก็ตอ เวลาอีกทีซิ ตอมันไปอีกที ไมมีใครวา . . . ตอเวลาอีกที Glucksberg, Sam, and Matthew S. McGlone. ซิ ตอกันไปอีกที ก็คงดีกวา แตกติกายังเดิมนะ 1999. When love is not a journey: What metaphors mean. Journal of Pragmatics 31: 1541-1558. “Love is like a sport. Everybody comes to play a sport of the heart. When the time is Green, Georgia M. 1989. Pragmatics and up, where will they go? If the players need natural language understanding. to play, please lengthen time. Nobody New Jersey City: Lawrence reproaches it . . . lengthen the time, please. Erlbaum Associates. It is very good to lengthen time, and the rules should be as the old ones.” Lakoff, George. 1987. Women, fire and The intensity of love is understood as the dangerous things: What categories attachment between the lovers. The two reveal about the mind. Chicago: lovers maintain their relationship with in an University of Chicago Press. established pattern; similarly, the players on a team must play the game according to Lakoff, George. 1993. The contemporary fixed rules so that they can play theory of metaphor. In Andrew Ortony (ed.), Metaphor and thought harmoniously. Therefore, the contract or nd rules in the game are metaphorically (2 ed). 207-208, 212. Cambridge: understood as representing the lovers’ Cambridge University Press. bond. Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson. 1980. Metaphors we live by. Chicago: Conclusion University of Chicago Press.
In conclusion, I found 502 metaphors used Lakoff, George, and Mark Turner. 1989. by Thai songwriters to describe love. Love More than cool reason: A field metaphors allow us to comprehend love in guide to poetic metaphor. Chicago: terms of a more clearly delineated concept. University of Chicago Press. The analysis of metaphors in modern Thai songs reveals that metaphorical concepts of love are usually constructed in a coherent
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Love Metaphors in Modern Thai Songs
Ong Siow Heng and Nirmala Govindasamy- Ong. 1996. Metaphor & public communication. Singapore: Graham Brash (Pte).
Prasit Karpklon. 1980. Language and thought. Bangkok: Ramkhamhaeng Printing Press.
Thomas, Jenny. 1995. Meaning in interaction: An introduction to pragmatics. London: Longman.
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