A Comparative Study of Metaphors in Fairy Tales in English and Japanese

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare metaphors of English and Japanese fairy tales. In the paper, I reveal differences of conceptualisation between tales of the two languages and cultures. I analysed two traditional tales, an English fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk and a Japanese one Momotaro ‘The Peach Boy’, which may be influenced by different cultural concepts. I found conceptual metaphors in each tale and examined them through universal or cultural categorisation. Some of the conceptual metaphors I found are the same in the two fairy tales, even if they are effected by very different cultures. On the other hand, due to the differences of their cultures, we can also find culturally dissimilar conceptual metaphors in the tales. I discussed why there are differences between cultural metaphors. They show us a different view influenced by the culturally different aspects between the two languages.