Full name: NGUYỄN THỊ NGỌC TRANG

Sex: Female

Date of birth:  March, 24th, 1982

Place of birth: Hải Dương

Admission decision number: 2435/QĐ-ĐHNN issued by the President of VNU University of Languages and International Studies, dated on November, 19th, 2018

Changes in academic process: Extending the training (Decision No 1813/QĐ-ĐHNN dated on November 26th, 2021)        

Official thesis title: The conceptual metaphor of the Vietnam War in American press (Ẩn dụ ý niệm về cuộc chiến tranh Việt Nam trong báo chí Mỹ)

Major: English Linguistics

Code: 9220201.01

Supervisors:

Supervisor 1: Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Hoà

Supervisor 2: Dr. Huỳnh Anh Tuấn

11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

The current study integrates the Multi-level View of Conceptual Metaphor (MLV– Kövecses, 2017) into the Critical Metaphor Analysis framework (CMA– Charteris-Black, 2004) to explore the critical and dynamic metaphorical conceptualization of the Vietnam War through an analysis of conceptual metaphors in the articles written by American war correspondents during the wartime. The study has come up with some new results as follows:

The study has construed diverse conceptualizations of the Vietnam War, in which more than half of the 25 metaphors constructed for the war are not mentioned in the previous studies. The eight dominant metaphors to portray the war include THE VIETNAM WAR IS A JOURNEY/ BUSINESS/ A NON-LIVING THING/ A NATURAL PHENOMENON/ TERRAIN/ COMPETITION/ ART/ MOVEMENT. Data analysis shows that almost all ideologies underlying these metaphors are close to anti-war position. The war is conceptualized as a dangerous, disastrous, uncontrollable event with long-lasting traumatic results. Both sides are the victims, facing the possibility of losing everything in a rigorous competition for the ultimate victory. Besides the warning and criticizing attitudes towards the war, a reminder of being calm and opened-minded when the war is always changeable and the message of being cautious, well-planned and responsible when participating in the war are implicitly conveyed.

The proposed conceptual framework of CMA-MLV fills the gap of lacking a framework utilizing optimal balance of pragmatic (CMA) and cognitive (MLV) dimensions. On the one hand, the framework reveals ideologies motivating metaphor choices when combining evaluations at cognitive dimension with contextual factors (CMA). On the other hand, it sheds light on the dynamic conceptualization via four levels of metaphor, from embodied cognition to metaphorical meaning in discourse (MLV). Interestingly, the framework suggests that ideologies are ingrained in all four conceptual levels and are elaborated with increasing specificity from image schema to domain, frame and mental space.

The adapted analytical framework of CMA-MLV with clear stages, relevant examples and careful notes on special cases is an effective tool for researchers to analyze metaphors in a consistent and reliable way. Especially, the framework offers three workable principles to formulate source domain – a major challenge in metaphor study and an easy-to-follow procedure to construct four conceptual levels in the newly introduced framework of MLV.

12. Practical applicability:

Firstly, in the context of studying and researching into conceptual metaphors in particular and cognitive linguistics in general in Vietnam, the study is an in time resourceful reference. At the present time, most of the research into conceptual metaphors in Vietnam is conducted on the original framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) by Lakoff & Johnson (1980) which is frequently criticized for methodological issues. The present study enables researchers, teachers and learners to catch up with new developments of conceptual metaphor study.

Secondly, the current study can also be used as a guide document to identify, interpret and explain conceptual metaphors using the integrated framework of CMA-MLV in order to gain insights into both ideologies underlying metaphors and multi-level structure of metaphors.

Thirdly, the findings of metaphorical conceptualizations in the study indicate that almost all dominant ideologies have an anti-war tendency, which can contribute to enhancing empathy for victims on both sides of the war.

13. Further research directions:

In future research, the CMA-MLV may be applied to other kinds of data to investigate the Vietnamese or the third party’s conceptualizations of the Vietnam War. Different aspects of metaphor study such as one-shot metaphor, direct metaphor, mixed metaphor, metaphor and blended space can be further studied to gain deeper understanding of conceptual metaphor as a cognitive mechanism.

14. Thesis-related publications:

1.Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Trang (2019). Discourse-based analytical framework to conceptual metaphor with an application to metaphors for the Vietnam War. Proceedings of 2019 International Graduate Research Symposium, 859–876. Hanoi: VNU Press.

2. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Trang (2020). How potential is cognitive linguistic in solving the

relation between language and thought? Proceedings of 2020 International Graduate Research Symposium and 10th East Asia Chinese Teaching Forum,  36–46. Hanoi: VNU Press.

3. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Trang (2021). Critical metaphor analysis from multi-level view of conceptual metaphor, with an application to metaphors for the Vietnam War in American press. Proceedings of 2021 International Graduate Research Symposium, 490–503. Hanoi: VNU Press.

4. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Trang (2022). Criticisms on conceptual metaphor theory and current approaches to metaphor study – A literature review. Proceedings of 2022 ULIS National Conference, 690–704. Hanoi: VNU Press