Author(s)

Wenqun Yao, Yingqiong Cui

Corresponding Author

Wenqun Yao

Abstract

This study employs the semantic domain coding tool USAS from the Wmatrix corpus and the MIPVU metaphor identification procedure to examine the metaphors of Chinese youth in the English translations of To the Youth and China's Youth in the New Era. A comparative analysis is conducted on the characteristics of Chinese youth metaphors in these two texts separated by over a century. Statistical results reveal that a total of 11 metaphorical patterns of Chinese youth emerge across both texts. In the English translation of To the Youth, the source domains of youth metaphors concentrate on humans, animals and plants, competition, and warfare, with a predominantly neutral and negative semantic prosody. In contrast, the English translation of China's Youth in the New Era features source domains including humans, animals and plants, competition, architecture, and art, exhibiting an overall positive and uplifting semantic prosody. The research analysis identifies that the historical contexts in which the two texts were produced constitute a significant factor contributing to the differences in Chinese youth metaphors.

Keywords

Chinese youth metaphor; Wmatrix; Semantic domains