Abstract Language is a repertoire of culture and a powerful and versatile medium in communication. Idioms mirror human wisdom in the process of conceptualization of the world. Idioms have interlocked and grown into records of a community’s past culture. Idioms therefore constitute a rich, but at the same time elusive, area of cross-cultural exchanges. Idioms reflect the colour and variety of human social activities, and so play an important role in the linguistic ontologization of emotions. The vocabulary of emotions has been the object of intensive investigations in many languages, but bibliographical exploration reveals that idioms as a component of the lexicon are not yet part of the main field of theoretical interest. In particular, while there have been studies of idioms of emotion in English, there have been few on emotion idioms in Vietnamese, and very few systematic investigations of emotion idioms (EIs) across English and Vietnamese. Hence, our linguistic study of the conceptualization of emotions in English and Vietnamese will significantly contribute to the development of this research domain with data from a language other than English. The study undertakes a contrastive investigation of idioms that express the seven basic emotional concepts of HAPPINESS, SADNESS, ANGER, DISGUST, LOVE, FEAR, and DESIRE in English and Vietnamese. There are three foci: (1) similarities and differences in formal structure between the EIs in English and Vietnamese; (2) similarities and differences in semantics between such idioms; and (3) an investigation of the patterning and regularities of the established similarities and differences between the EIs in the two languages. To the end, we have conducted a hand search approach of the dictionaries in both languages, which has enabled the establishing of a corpus of 1065 entries (603 for English and 462 for Vietnamese). As regards the formal structure, the study sets up the lexicogrammatical frames for the canonical forms and variation patterns of the idioms, and interrelates quantitatively and quantitatively the relationship of the idioms’ variant form vis-à-vis the canonical form. In light of the findings, the study has shown that a high level of canonicity is observed in the idioms in both English and Vietnamese. In general, they conform to a restricted number of construction types: verbal, nominal, adjectival, prepositional, and sentential. Nevertheless, many other idioms permit variable flexibility in their composition: the substitutability of their component parts, insertion of lexical items, and some variation in syntactic patterning. For the idioms which are logged as canonical and variant, we have suggested rules to cover the patterns. As regards the semantic features of the idioms, the study is substantially reliant on the theory of conceptual metaphor (CMT) and metonymy, as first developed by Lakoff & Johnson (1980), to analyze the data. The data analysis leads to the discovery of conceptual mappings/correspondences from the various source domains on to the target domains of emotions, which are very productive of idioms. An in-depth analysis of cross-linguistic and cross-cultural aspects in the idioms is provided to determine similarities and differences in terms of conceptualization of the emotions between the two languages. The contrastive analysis of idioms reported in the traditional literature is usually the comparison of idioms with body-part terms: e.g., mát mặt (‘cool face’) ‘HAPPINESS’ in Vietnamese; lose one’s head in English, animals: e.g., gầm như hổ đói (‘roar like tiger hungry’); go ape ‘ANGER’, and colours: e.g., đỏ mặt tía tai (‘red face purple ear’); blue in the face ‘ANGER’. The present analysis seeks greater explanatory depth and theoretical grounding in the framework of cognitive linguistics. We present the semantic patterning of the idioms, and the patterning in turn reveals how English and Vietnamese people talk about and structure the abstract conceptual domains (i.e., emotions) (Gibbs & Wilson, 2002). In light of the findings, this research has revealed both commonalities and differences in the conceptualization of the emotions in English and Vietnamese. The affinities are grounded in common bodily experiences. On the other hand, cross-cultural variations are also obvious. The most important conclusion that can be drawn for the study is that metaphors and metonymies involved in emotion-expressing idioms are not only heavily subject to physiological basis (Solomon, 1984), but also to cultural influences on the basis of the cultural image schemas (Dobrovol'skij & Piirainen, 2006; Emanatian, 1995; Geeraerts & Grondelaers, 1995; Ungerer, 1993). The thesis also presents implications concerning the linguistic ontologization of emotions, and their application to second language learning and the translation of idioms.

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Esta tese se concentra sobre os debates referentes à relação entre as construções locativas, existenciais e possessivas nas línguas do mundo, dando especial atenção para o caso particular das línguas bantas, para as quais o entendimento mais completo da relação entre aquelas construções só se dá se o domínio conceitual do comitativo for levado em conta. A tese se desenvolve na linha de três grandes questionamentos, que constituem três partes. A primeira se ocupa de questões referentes ao trabalho de campo ou o campo da pesquisa, o da descrição de línguas africanas no Brasil, nesse caso, o de uma linguística africana na Diáspora. São apresentados os principais aspectos gramaticais das línguas do estudo, com ênfase das línguas bantas das zonas H, K e R, englobando assim todo o território de Angola. A segunda parte trata das questões teóricas, apresentando as diversas propostas que almejaram analisar as construções possessivas e outras a elas relacionadas, sendo classificadas em duas: (i) as propostas localistas, para as quais o domínio de possessivos e existenciais são em última instância locativos; e (ii) as propostas não localistas, que buscaram identificar outros fatores na relação de possessivos e as demais construções. Apresentam-se também os questionamentos epistemológicos seguindo as reflexões de um anarquismo epistemológico em linguística. Partindo dos pressupostos da Gramática Cognitiva, os domínios conceituais de locativos, existenciais, comitativos e possessivos são analisados a partir do construto da Análise do Ponto de Referência, considerado como a base conceitual comum àquelas quatro construções. A terceira e última parte é devotada às questões relativas à descrição das construções locativas, existenciais, comitativas e possessivas em línguas bantas. Para cada construção, são consideradas as subconstruções que devem receber uma maior atenção dos estudiosos, para que se tenha um quadro mais completo dos estudos sobre possessivos. Por exemplo, para as construções locativas, uma discussão sobre inversão locativa; para as construções existenciais, a questão do efeito de definitude em línguas bantas; para as construções comitativas, a relação delas com o da coordenação entre NPs, por fim, para as construções possessivas, a relação dessas com os diferentes processos de gramaticalização responsáveis pela grande diversidade das construções de posse predicativa, como o processo de transitivização ou Have-drift. Para uma análise conjunta dessas construções, preocupada com a particularidade tipológica das línguas bantas, propõe-se que se faz necessário um refinamento teórico da categoria semântico-gramatical Controle, encarada como o fator que diferencia locativos, existenciais e comitativos de possessivos. / This dissertation focuses on the debates concerning the relationship between locative, existential and possessive constructions in the languages of the world, paying special attention to the particular case of the Bantu languages, for which a more complete understanding of the relationship between those constructions can only happen if the conceptual domain of comitative is taken into account. The dissertation is developed according to three major questions, which constitute three parts of the work. The first part deals with issues related to field work or the field of the research, the description of African languages in Brazil, in this case, an African linguistics in the Diaspora. The main grammatical aspects of the languages of this study are presented, with emphasis to the Angolan languages, Bantu languages of zones H, K and R. The second part deals with theoretical issues, presenting the various proposals that have wished to analyze possessive constructions and related ones. Those proposals are classified into two types: (i) localist proposals, for which the domain of possessive and existential are ultimately locative; and (ii) Non localist proposals, which tried to identify other factors in the relations of possessive to other constructions. The epistemological questions are also presented, following a reflection of an epistemological anarchism standpoint in linguistics. Based on the assumptions of Cognitive Grammar, the conceptual domains of locative, existential, comitative and possessive are analyzed under the construct of the Reference Point Analysis, considered as the conceptual common basis to those four grammatical constructions. The third and last part is devoted to issues relating to the description of locative, existential, comitative and possessive constructions in Bantu languages. For each construction we considered sub-constructions that should receive a greater attention from scholars, for those who wish a more complete study on predicative possession. For example, for discussion locative constructions one should pay attention to issues related to locative inversion, for existential constructions, the question of the definiteness effect in Bantu languages also should be considered; for comitative constructions, one should relate this construction to that of comitative coordination between NPs, and finally, for possessive constructions, the relation of it with different grammaticalization processes responsible for the great diversity of predicative possession constructions, such as the process of transitivization or \"Have-drift\". For a joint analysis of these constructions concerned with typological characteristic of Bantu languages, it is proposed that it is necessary to refine theoretically the semantic-grammatical category of Control, regarded as the factor that differentiates locative, existential and comitative from possessives.

Esta tese se concentra sobre os debates referentes à relação entre as construções locativas, existenciais e possessivas nas línguas do mundo, dando especial atenção para o caso particular das línguas bantas, para as quais o entendimento mais completo da relação entre aquelas construções só se dá se o domínio conceitual do comitativo for levado em conta. A tese se desenvolve na linha de três grandes questionamentos, que constituem três partes. A primeira se ocupa de questões referentes ao trabalho de campo ou o campo da pesquisa, o da descrição de línguas africanas no Brasil, nesse caso, o de uma linguística africana na Diáspora. São apresentados os principais aspectos gramaticais das línguas do estudo, com ênfase das línguas bantas das zonas H, K e R, englobando assim todo o território de Angola. A segunda parte trata das questões teóricas, apresentando as diversas propostas que almejaram analisar as construções possessivas e outras a elas relacionadas, sendo classificadas em duas: (i) as propostas localistas, para as quais o domínio de possessivos e existenciais são em última instância locativos; e (ii) as propostas não localistas, que buscaram identificar outros fatores na relação de possessivos e as demais construções. Apresentam-se também os questionamentos epistemológicos seguindo as reflexões de um anarquismo epistemológico em linguística. Partindo dos pressupostos da Gramática Cognitiva, os domínios conceituais de locativos, existenciais, comitativos e possessivos são analisados a partir do construto da Análise do Ponto de Referência, considerado como a base conceitual comum àquelas quatro construções. A terceira e última parte é devotada às questões relativas à descrição das construções locativas, existenciais, comitativas e possessivas em línguas bantas. Para cada construção, são consideradas as subconstruções que devem receber uma maior atenção dos estudiosos, para que se tenha um quadro mais completo dos estudos sobre possessivos. Por exemplo, para as construções locativas, uma discussão sobre inversão locativa; para as construções existenciais, a questão do efeito de definitude em línguas bantas; para as construções comitativas, a relação delas com o da coordenação entre NPs, por fim, para as construções possessivas, a relação dessas com os diferentes processos de gramaticalização responsáveis pela grande diversidade das construções de posse predicativa, como o processo de transitivização ou Have-drift. Para uma análise conjunta dessas construções, preocupada com a particularidade tipológica das línguas bantas, propõe-se que se faz necessário um refinamento teórico da categoria semântico-gramatical Controle, encarada como o fator que diferencia locativos, existenciais e comitativos de possessivos. / This dissertation focuses on the debates concerning the relationship between locative, existential and possessive constructions in the languages of the world, paying special attention to the particular case of the Bantu languages, for which a more complete understanding of the relationship between those constructions can only happen if the conceptual domain of comitative is taken into account. The dissertation is developed according to three major questions, which constitute three parts of the work. The first part deals with issues related to field work or the field of the research, the description of African languages in Brazil, in this case, an African linguistics in the Diaspora. The main grammatical aspects of the languages of this study are presented, with emphasis to the Angolan languages, Bantu languages of zones H, K and R. The second part deals with theoretical issues, presenting the various proposals that have wished to analyze possessive constructions and related ones. Those proposals are classified into two types: (i) localist proposals, for which the domain of possessive and existential are ultimately locative; and (ii) Non localist proposals, which tried to identify other factors in the relations of possessive to other constructions. The epistemological questions are also presented, following a reflection of an epistemological anarchism standpoint in linguistics. Based on the assumptions of Cognitive Grammar, the conceptual domains of locative, existential, comitative and possessive are analyzed under the construct of the Reference Point Analysis, considered as the conceptual common basis to those four grammatical constructions. The third and last part is devoted to issues relating to the description of locative, existential, comitative and possessive constructions in Bantu languages. For each construction we considered sub-constructions that should receive a greater attention from scholars, for those who wish a more complete study on predicative possession. For example, for discussion locative constructions one should pay attention to issues related to locative inversion, for existential constructions, the question of the definiteness effect in Bantu languages also should be considered; for comitative constructions, one should relate this construction to that of comitative coordination between NPs, and finally, for possessive constructions, the relation of it with different grammaticalization processes responsible for the great diversity of predicative possession constructions, such as the process of transitivization or \"Have-drift\". For a joint analysis of these constructions concerned with typological characteristic of Bantu languages, it is proposed that it is necessary to refine theoretically the semantic-grammatical category of Control, regarded as the factor that differentiates locative, existential and comitative from possessives.