earticle

영어

This paper aims to explore French animal figurative expressions focused on « chien(dog), chat(cat), cheval(horse)» and to examine how their meaning extension can be categorized based on conceptual metaphor. French language is reported to be rich in figurative expressions, especially animal figurative ones are heard nearly in everyday situation. In the field of cognitive semantics, there has been much research (domestic and foreign) concerning idioms, metaphor and body terms based on various individual languages. However, relatively little attention has been paid to animal figurative expressions and few studies have dealt with them in French. In this study, the figurative meanings containing chien, chat, cheval were analyzed based on conceptual metaphor as well as on semantic molecules related to ‘animal’, and their meaning extension was categorized. Our findings through this study showed that firstly, three animal figurative expressions as well as their extended meanings could be categorized. Which related to human beings, cognition, appearance, attitude, action, situation or relationship with others. Secondly, there were differences in semantic categories of figurative expressions by animals. Chien expression usually referred to negative properties, chat related to both positive and negative ones. Also, cheval expression was represented by positive properties as well as qualities (e.g. ways, means). Furthermore, animal expressions demonstrate different French speakers’ modes of thought compared with Koreans.