Metaphor and Rhetoric in Chinese and Bangladeshi Folk Discourse: A Cognitive-Cultural Comparative Study

Abstract

Folk discourse, which includes proverbs, folktales, and traditional sayings, is an important source of cultural knowledge. This paper is concerned with a comparative analysis of the metaphorical expressions in Bangladeshi folk language in comparison to their counterparts in Chinese in the cognitive linguistics framework. The study is based on two theoretical frameworks, namely, Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) and Cultural Conceptualization Theory (Sharifian, 2011), which are used to explore the conceptualization of abstract concepts of life, morality, emotions, and fate within both cultures. Stratified random sampling resulted in 200 folk texts (100 per culture); a mixed-methods approach was used to compare metaphorical patterns, and Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS (Version 26.0). The MIPVU procedure was used in a systematic manner to identify the metaphors. Results show universal cognitive patterns, as well as culture-specific patterns, which are a reflection of different culture-based philosophies, religions, and social systems. Chinese folk discourse is an expression of the Confucian and Taoist values, which focus on the harmony of society and moral development, and uses metaphors based on social hierarchy and nature images. Bangladeshi folk discourse is a mixture of the influence of Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic beliefs with a main emphasis on spirituality, karmic aspects, the divine will, and the practice of the individual. The study highlighted a framework of cross-cultural metaphor analysis called Cognitive-Cultural Mapping. The implication of the findings is of great importance to translation studies, language pedagogy, and intercultural communication.