Metaphor Understanding of Chinese Taste Words: A Case Study of Chinese Major Students at Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University. การศึกษาความเข้าใจคำอุปลักษณ์รสชาติของอาหารในภาษาจีนของนักศึกษาสาขาวิชาภาษาจีน มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏพิบูลสงคราม

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the understanding of Chinese taste words perceived by 26 Chinese major students. The metaphors are categorized into four tastes as follows: sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy tastes. There are six target domains for sour taste, eight domains for sweet taste, five domains for bitter taste, and six domains for spicy taste. The results showed that the conceptual metaphors of different tastes resulted from the influence of Chinese culture, traditions, and social environment. The metaphorical taste words that the students most understood were spicy, sour, sweet, and bitter tastes, respectively. According to the data analysis, it was also found that some students demonstrated their lack of metaphor understanding of Chinese taste words. It is could be inferred that they had any concept of Chinese people.