People most often express emotions through metaphors and figurative language, which also includes idioms. Idioms are relatively fixed multi-word expressions whose main characteristic is the unpredictability of meaning. This refers to the fact that the overall meaning of an idiom is not equal to the sum of the meanings of its components. Consequently, they pose significant challenges in learning foreign languages and distinguish between good and excellent language proficiency. They are closely tied to culture; thus, knowledge of idioms also reflects an understanding of the culture, social values, and mindset of speakers of the target language. Cognitive linguistics, particularly the theory of conceptual metaphor, provides a useful tool for explaining idioms. People understand abstract concepts, such as emotions, through conceptual metaphors and metonymies that derive from bodily experiences and refer to more concrete domains. These are largely universal, while the further development from primary metaphors and metonymies to more complex ones is influenced by culture.
The aim of this Master’s Thesis is to compare the conceptualization of emotions in both languages through the analysis of somatic idioms and to create practical guidelines for teachers and learners of Korean, including a glossary of Korean somatic idioms and an explanation of the conceptualization of emotions in Korean. The study identifies conceptual metaphors and metonymies in the idioms of both languages, focusing on those related to emotions. The analysis covers upper body parts, senses, internal organs, and bodily fluids. Results show that the languages conceptualize emotions through the same basic conceptual metaphors and metonymies, but they differ in more complex cases. These differences are strongly influenced by culture, social norms, values, and historical background. In Korean, the influence of traditional Korean emotions heung 흥, han 한, and Jeong 정 is also clearly evident in both idioms and conceptualization. The languages also express emotions through different body parts: in Slovenian, when someone is angry, they metaphorically “vomit bile”, whereas in Korean, they “vomit blood.” In both languages, the most idiomatically productive components are hand, head, and eye. Although the metaphorical seat of emotions in both languages is in the area surrounding the heart, in Korean the chest and ma-eum 마음, which represents the metaphorical heart or mind, are more productive than the physical heart itself.
The results of the Master’s Thesis show that Slovenian learners’ conceptual system can aid them in learning idioms. However, for a holistic understanding of idioms, learners must also be familiar with the cultural, social, and historical aspects. This is important not only for easier understanding and memorisation of idioms, but also for being able to communicate with Koreans, build relationships with them, and successfully integrate into the Korean society. Consequently, the findings of this thesis are significant not only for learners and teachers of Korean but are also applicable to a broader understanding of intercultural communication.
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