The Critical Study of the WOMEN ARE ANIMALS Conceptual Metaphor in Thai

Abstract

This paper aims at exploring how several animal-related expressions are both processed and understood to the representation of women through the conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) as WOMEN ARE ANIMALS. As animals are part of our world, they are a suitable source domain and a vehicle in the conceptualization and construction of metaphors related to women. The results show that in Thai language the types of animals applied to women come mainly from the source domain of pets, farm and wild animals. They are used to describe women in various ways, also the gender ideologies and cultural values that are transmitted. In addition, the metaphorical linguistic expressions in Thai convey gender and cultural values which are generally negative and in a derogatory way for the representation of women’s beauty and behaviour.