A Study Analysis and Countermeasures of Misunderstandings in Animal Metaphor Comprehension among Thai Chinese Language Learners:A Case Study of A University in Nonthaburi Province

Abstract

Animal-related terms are not only a vital component of the lexical system but also constitute a significant semantic field. While conveying their literal meanings, they also embody rich cultural information. Thus, animal terms serve as a golden key to unlocking the treasure troves of human cultural heritage and provide an important medium and pathway for exploring the relationship between human cognition and thought. The purpose of this study is to investigate the strategies used by Thai learners of Chinese in understanding animal metaphors, enhance their learning efficiency, and contribute to the cognitive research on Chinese and Thai vocabulary. Based on theories such as cognitive linguistics, cultural semantics, and conceptual metaphor, this research conducts a comparative analysis of the symbolic meanings of animal terms in Chinese and Thai. Building on this analysis, a questionnaire is developed to survey and examine the understanding and common errors of Thai students regarding Chinese animal metaphors during their language-learning process. The findings reveal that Thai learners employ strategies such as utilizing native cultural knowledge, contextual information, psychological associations, and visual intuitive information to comprehend Chinese animal metaphors. In light of these findings, educators should emphasize the integration of native language knowledge, target language knowledge, contextual clues, and associative thinking to cultivate Thai learners' comprehension abilities in Chinese.