Context and Conceptual Metaphors in Khlong Lokanit: A Study Based on Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory of KÖvecses

Abstract

Conceptual Metaphor Theory has undergone continuous development, and one of its important advancements is the Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory proposed by Kövecses (2020), which emphasizes the roles of situational, discourse, bodily, and conceptual-cognitive contexts in the construction, selection, and interpretation of conceptual metaphors. However, no study has systematically applied this framework to Thai-language data. This study therefore aims to investigate the contextual factors influencing the construction, selection, and interpretation of conceptual metaphors in Khlong Lokanit by adopting a qualitative linguistic approach based on Kövecses’s (2020) framework. The findings reveal that the construction, selection, and interpretation of conceptual metaphors in Khlong Lokanit are influenced by four contextual dimensions: (1) situational context, including the physical environment, social situations, and cultural situations; (2) discourse context, including co-text, preceding discourse, and knowledge concerning the speaker, topic, and audience; (3) bodily context, including stable experiential correlations and temporary bodily states; and (4) conceptual-cognitive context, including conceptual metaphor systems and ideology. These contextual factors play a significant role in the construction, selection, and interpretation of conceptual metaphors at the mental space level, enabling abstract meanings to be understood through more concrete conceptualizations. The findings demonstrate that Kövecses’s Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory can be applied to explain the construction, selection, and interpretation of conceptual metaphors in Thai literary works to a certain extent. Moreover, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of context in Thai literature and highlights the potential applicability of this framework to other types of Thai-language data.