Koreans who study Japanese language and Japaneses who study Korean language often experience difficulties when interpreting and delivering messages. This study figures out that figurative language including idiomatic phrases and proverbs can cause the... Koreans who study Japanese language and Japaneses who study Korean language often experience difficulties when interpreting and delivering messages. This study figures out that figurative language including idiomatic phrases and proverbs can cause the difficulties. Figurative language is language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. Figurative language strengthens or makes a point more compelling and effective. Figurative language reflects culture, lifestyle and way of thinking about a situation of a group of people over long periods of time. Therefore, people need to understand figurative language from a cultural and social standpoint to better acquire second language. Korea and Japan in close geographic proximity are within the cultural sphere of Chinese character. This study compares and analyzes Korean and Japanese figurative language that uses rice and soup, main elements of Korean and Japanese cuisine, and rice cake, representative dish for events of the two countries to see differences and similarities. 100 figurative expressions are chosen from each language and researched and classified for this study. The expressions are selected from『Korean Figurative Language Dictionary』written by Choi Gyeong-bong and 『Japanese Figurative Language Dictionary(日本語慣用句 辞典)』written by Yonekawa Akihiko(米川明彦) that preceding researches quote frequently. The selected figurative expressions are classified by image: positive; negative; neutral; and ambivalent, and classified by meaning: describing emotion; personality and attitude; movement and action; state and value; and daily life and elements of the five categories are regrouped by detailed criteria. Categorization by image and meaning can vary depending on researchers' point of view. This study classifies figurative expressions based on the classification criteria of preceding researches. Conclusions of this study are as follows. First, Koreans and Japaneses have three meals a day with cooked rice as a staple food. A bowl of rice and side dishes are incorporated in both of the Korean and Japanese tables. But eating culture and table manners are different. Figurative expressions that include "cooked rice" have more likely negative image. As rice is critical for life and health, many of the figurative expressions are related to family support. This study finds out that meaning of rice related figurative language can vary depending on environment, culture and national characters even if Korea and Japan are within the rice cultural sphere. Second, both of Korean and Japanese tables incorporate a bowl of soup, but image and meaning of soup are not the same. Koreans eat soup with a spoon while Japaneses have it with chopsticks because they consider soup one of the side dishes. As Koreans share soup with family members, it has image of supporting communal culture. Soup in Japan is personal food, not communal food. Koreans sometimes put rice in a soup, while Japaneses have rice and soup separately. Japaneses consider soup less serious and more negative than Koreans. This study finds out that soup distinguishes eating culture of Koreans from that of Japaneses. Third, rice cake more likely has positive image compared with rice and soup. Koreans share rice cake during hard times, so the food represents sympathy in Korea. While, in Japan, rice cake is considered as stamina boosting food and Japaneses believe that supernatural energy lies in rice cake. And it is the essential item for various events and daily life, which may contributes to positive image for the food. It is assumed that rice cake doesn't carry negative image because both of Koreans and Japaneses make rice cake for holidays, important events, ancestral rituals and religious rituals. Participants of the rituals share rice cake for blessing themselves, which contribute to sense of unity. This study divides image and meaning of rice, soup and rice cake containing figurative expressions of Korean and Japanese into five categories. It finds out that food cultures of the two countries have similarities and differences even though the countries are geographically close and connected historically. Each language community experiences different history and environment, which creates its unique culture and figurative languages over long periods of time. Differences in meaning of figurative expressions are caused by cultural differences. This study suggests that second language learners need to understand figurative expressions from the cultural and social perspectives.
이 연구는 한·일 양국의 언어 학습자가 해당 국가의 언어를 습득하면서 표면적 의미 그대로 해석해서는 의미전달이 되지 않거나 불가능한 경우가 발생하게 되는데 그 대표적인 것이 관용구... |
