Images of Men and Women in the Mirror of Gender Metaphors

Abstract

This investigation reveals gender specificity in the vocabulary segment of the Kazakh language picture of the world. The study draws the material from the Explanatory Dictionary of the Kazakh Literary Language and the Kazakh Dictionary and is based on the theory of conceptual metaphor and analysis of gender-marked metaphors. The results show that the images of men and women are represented by metaphorical models “Human Being Is an Animal”, “Human Being Is a Bird”, “Human Being Is an Object”, “Human Being Is a Mythical Creature”. In addition to the common models, a model was revealed that is characteristic only for women – “Woman Is a Disease”. The study highlights the differences between these gender metaphorical models in terms of quantitative representation and content. Thus, in the Kazakh language, men are most often described through the metaphors of animals and birds, while women are described through the metaphors of mythical creatures and animals. In the depiction of men, metaphors denoted their courage, strength and predominate social role, whereas in the depiction of women, metaphors characterize their predominate external beauty. Accordingly, in the metaphorical fragment of the dictionary of the Kazakh language picture of the world, a binary attitude to gender identity defined man as a hero, a support, and a woman as beautiful and slim. The results of the study allow us to conclude that dictionary metaphors, being linguistic material, are able to provide comprehensive information about the conceptual system and gender picture of a particular linguistic culture.