著者

松井 真人

出版者

山形県立米沢女子短期大学

雑誌

山形県立米沢女子短期大学紀要 = Bulletin of Yonezawa Women's Junior College

巻号頁・発行日

vol.45, pp.65-73, 2009-12-25

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Abstract This paper investigates the semantic extension of the words related with "right" and "left" in English and Japanese. It also examines the physical and cultural bases of the extension. In both languages, while the words related with "right" have the meanings "normal" and "superior," those related with "left" have the meanings "abnormal" and "inferior." I argue that those non-spatial meanings were derived on the basis of the functional superiority of the human right hand over the left and the dualistic view of the world that divides realities into sacred and secular things. In some Japanese expressions this semantic contrast of "right" and "left" is reversed. I argue that this reversal stems from the superiority of "left" found at certain periods in Chinese and Japanese history. キーワード : 右、左、意味拡張、身体性、文化