常民文化與隱喻：臺灣客家山歌的植物意象之研究

Abstract

植物意象是臺灣客家山歌的重要素材，它呈現了客家常民文化的內容，更塑造了臺灣客家山歌「藉彼喻此」的隱喻性語言，反映了客家人從個人生活到整個族群的理想、感情和願望。 以語言表達的觀點來看臺灣客家山歌中的植物意象，其實是以隱喻的結構性語言來理解抽象的概念，而植物意象的隱喻性語言之運作，是以人們日常生活為基礎，來陳述對於抽象的概念之部分瞭解。植物意象作為來源域的隱喻素材，多半是以植物的生長週期作為攝取角度，尤其是開花、結果等意象，因其外在特徵明顯，並與人們的生活經驗密合，因而與歌詞的喻意產生極為密切的連結。 從語言的認知層面來看植物意象所形成的隱喻性語言，可以發現山歌的歌詞反映出一個文化裡的價值觀中，所強調與所忽略的各個層面。亦即臺灣客家山歌的植物意象，其隱喻性語言的攝取角度與部分映射的特性，反映出臺灣的客家族群之思維模式，也顯現出客家族群日常的行動和決定。 臺灣客家山歌的植物意象所反映有關客家人在物質、精神、社會等常民文化的內容，是人對環境適應及利用的具體呈現，而客家人選擇特定的植物意象以隱喻的方式詮釋抽象的概念，其認知的基礎同時也是深受到物質、精神、社會等常民文化所影響。Plant’s image is an major material of Taiwan’s Hakka folk songs, not only representing the content of Hakka folk culture, but also creating the metaphorical language for Taiwan’s Hakka folk songs. The purpose of such language is to reflect all levels from individual life to the dreams, feelings, and wishes of the whole Taiwan’s Hakka population.

From the viewpoint of language performance, the plant’s image of Taiwan’s Hakka folk songs is to explain abstract ideas by metaphorical and structural language, and the function of metaphorical language is based on daily life, so to state partial understandings of abstract ideas. When Taiwan’s Hakka people use plant’s image as metaphorical source materials, they usually focus on the life cycle of plants, especially on blossom and fruit. Because such images are very clear and closely connected to life experiences, so they can generate tight links to the metaphor of lyrics.

After analyzing the metaphorical language formed by plant’s image at language cognition level, we found the lyrics of Taiwan’s Hakka folk songs actually reflect all views of traditional Hakka culture, including the emphasized part and the omitted parts. That is, when we look into the two characteristics in plant’s image of Taiwan’s Hakka folk songs: metaphorical language and partial mapping, both of them reflect the thinking logics of Taiwan’s Hakka population, they also reflec the daily activities and decisions of Hakka population.

Finally, the plant’s image in Taiwan’s Hakka folk songs reflects the material, spiritual, and social contents of Taiwan’s Hakka folk culture and represents the actual process of Taiwan’s Hakka people in environment adoption and utilization. When Taiwan’s Hakka people choose specific plant’s image to explain abstract ideas, the basis of cognition is strongly affected by the material, spiritual, and social contents of Hakka folk culture.