Body-part metaphors: a cross-cultural survey of the perception of translatability among Americans and Japanese.

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  • Author(s): Sakuragi T;Sakuragi T; Fuller JW
  • Source:
    Journal of psycholinguistic research [J Psycholinguist Res] 2003 Jul; Vol. 32 (4), pp. 381-95.
  • Publication Type:
    Comparative Study; Journal Article
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0333506 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0090-6905 (Print) Linking ISSN: 00906905 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Psycholinguist Res Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Sept. 2004- : New York : Springer
      Original Publication: New York, Plenum Press
    • Subject Terms:
      Culture* ; Human Body* ; Language* ; Metaphor* ; Surveys and Questionnaires*; Adult ; Cross-Cultural Comparison ; Female ; Humans ; Male
    • Abstract:
      What kinds of linguistic resources do people utilize when they try to translate metaphors into a foreign language? This investigation of the perception of translatability of body-part metaphors examined the effects of the following factors: the similarity between the human body part and the metaphorical expression (e.g., "eye" in "electric eye") in appearance and function; the frequency of the use of the metaphor in the native language; and the perceived distance between the first language and the target language. The results of a survey of American (n = 151) and Japanese (n = 116) university students showed that both Similarity in Appearance and Similarity in Function correlated positively with Translatability, while the effect of the former was stronger than the latter. Frequency correlated positively with Translatability for the Americans, although the correlation was weaker when the target language is "distant" (Japanese or Chinese) than when the target language is "close" (Spanish). Among the Japanese, Frequency did not correlate with translatability regardless of the target language.
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    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20030911 Date Completed: 20040129 Latest Revision: 20191107
    • Publication Date:
      20221213
    • Accession Number:
      10.1023/a:1024858712238
    • Accession Number:
      12964521