Metaphorical Role of Animals in Myanmar Proverbs and Myanmar Society

Abstract

This paper deals with discovering how animals are important in building metaphors in Myanmar proverbs and the role of these animals in Myanmar society and culture. The purpose of the study is to investigate which animals are used in Myanmar proverbs, what are the most common animals used in these proverbs and the role these animals play in everyday life of Myanmar People. The findings reveal that there are 291 metaphors used for 40 animals in 251 proverbs. These animals include domestic animals, wild animals, insects and also mythical creatures such as Dragon and Garuda. The most common animals are birds, fish, elephant, cattle, tiger, dog, chicken, cat, mouse and buffalo. Popular and prominent examples of these ten most common animals are put forward for interpretation under The Contemporary Metaphor Theory and it is found out that the animal metaphors describe a lot about the conceptual mind of Myanmar people and Myanmar historical, geographical, cultural, social, economic and religious conditions