พืชในสำนวนไทย: การวิเคราะห์ทางอรรถศาสตร์

Abstract

This thesis, “Plants in Thai Idioms: A Semantic Analysis,” aimed to examine source domains and target domains of plants that were quoted in Thai idioms. In this connection, Semantic Structure Analysis (SSA), and the concepts of parts of speech and lexical semantic process were applied. Information regarding Thai idioms and its meaning was derived from the book “Thai Idioms” by Kanchanakhaphan. From the study, 81 idioms quoting plants, in which included 29 different types, were found. The plants were distinguished into 5 categories, namely trees, herbaceous plants, shrubs, climbers and others. Two characteristics of source domains of plants that appeared in Thai idioms were identified: 1) source domains that contained only denotative meaning of plants and, 2) sources domains that contained both denotative and connotative meaning of plants. The source domains of the quoted plants were originated via two means: 1) the observation of their own natural characteristics, namely forms, movements, colors, sizes, weights, tastes, ages, locations, amounts, natural conditions and functional conditions; and, 2) the utilization by human beings and animals, namely plants as food, plants as everyday tools, plants as commodity, plants in spiritual and religious belief, cultivation, and plants that were affected by human beings and animals.

It was found that the target domains of the plants quoted in Thai idioms emerged underlexical semantic processes, namely metaphorical process and metonymic process, which altered the source domains of the plants quoted in Thai idioms allegorically.The target domains of the plants quoted in Thai idioms were categorized into 2 characteristics: 1) the allegorical meaning ofconditions, namely color aspects, human conditions,mental conditions and numerical aspects; and, 2) the allegorical meaning of human actions, namely speaking, human relationship, human functions, as well as actions related to religions and rituals.It was also found that the target domains of the plants quoted in Thai idioms were derived from: 1) only denotative meaning of the source domains, and 2) both denotative and connotative meaning of the source domains. Additionally, there were 3lexical semantic processes that resulted in the target domains of the plants quoted in Thai idioms: 1) the target domains of the plants quoted in Thai idioms that emerged under a metaphorical process only; 2) the target domains of the plants quoted in Thai idioms that emerged under a metonymic process only; and, 3) the target domains of the plants quoted in Thai idioms that emerged under both metaphorical and metonymic processes.