CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS OF SEA AND ISLANDS IN VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE TEXTBOOK DISCOURSE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18173/2354-1075.2026-0067Keywords:
cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphor, sea and islands, educational discourseAbstract
This study examines conceptual metaphor models of sea and islands in 171 reading texts from Vietnamese Language and Literature textbooks from 1976 to the present. Drawing on Cognitive Linguistics and using AntConc (version 4.2), the study analyzes 27,553 tokens to identify the major source domains mapped onto the target domain “sea and islands”. Following the MIPVU procedure, the study identifies 137 metaphorical expressions representing five major models: sea and islands as a living entity (56.2%), dwelling space (19.7%), battlefield (10.2%), treasure (8.0%), and worksite (5.8%). The predominance of the living-entity model reveals an embodiment mechanism: sea and islands are construed as a living entity, rendering an abstract geopolitical space more concrete. The study establishes “sea and islands” as an integrated target domain and demonstrates the role of metaphor as a cognitive framing mechanism for sovereignty, contributing to the construction of the concept of territorial integrity in educational discourse.
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