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Zoosemy (animal metaphor) is the way names of animals are used to denote and characterise human qualities and traits of the character. The term zoosemy was first used by Grzegorz A. Kleparski (Professor of University of Rzeszow /Poland/). He also noticed that the category MAMMALS form the majority of the cases of zoosemy. It may be so since their close associations, familiarity and importance to humans. Other categories, like, for instance, INSECTS, FISH, or AMPHIBIANS seem not to be as profound in the examples of zoosemic developments. Usually, the case of zoosemy goes in hand with the process of pejoration of meaning(a type of semantic change),〔Kleparski, G.A. 1990. Semantic Change in English: A Study of Evaluative Developments in the Domain of HUMANS. Lublin: Wydawnictwo KUL.〕 since names of animals when applied to human beings can express their disapproving : * appearance (cow ‘a fat, or disagreeable woman’), * manners (pig ‘an ugly, dirty or gluttonous person’) * behaviour, character, morals (dog ‘contemptible, wretched man’; viper ‘a malicious, evil-minded person’; mule ‘an obstinate, stubborn person’; ass, ox ‘a fool’ or ostrich ‘a coward’; bitch ‘a spiteful, coarse woman’). Yet, certain animals can as well represent positive human characteristics or virtues, for instance, the person who is brave, bellicose and strong can be called a lion, a hard-working human is a bee or ant. 〔Kiełtyka, R. and G.A. Kleparski. 2005. “The scope of English zoosemy: the case of DOMESTICATED ANIMALS” () Kleparski. G.A. (ed.). Studia Anglica Resoviensia 3, 76-87.〕 ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「zoosemy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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