Terms of Sensory Perception in English and Vietnamese Metaphorical Expressions of Love

Abstract

The terms of sensory perception metaphorically used to express love are rather diversified in English and Vietnamese poetry. All five senses are exploited for different purposes of love expression. They contribute to the variety in love and help it easier to understand. In the light of the conceptual metaphor theory, fifteen source domains for love are found underlying 1190 sensory perception expressions (549 English and 641 Vietnamese). All the conceptual metaphors and many of the metaphorical expressions are the same in the two languages. These resemblances may be explained by the universality of metaphor and of the conceptual organization of sensory perception in human brain. However, coming from two different cultures, these terms are not completely similar between English and Vietnamese.