Journal of Education Research
Vol. 7 No. 3 (2026): in Progress

The Conceptualization of Emotions in German and Indonesian Idioms

Prita Azka Fatika (Pendidikan Bahasa Jerman, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia)
Ending Khoerudin (Pendidikan Bahasa Jerman, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia)
Nur Muthmainah (Pendidikan Bahasa Jerman, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Aug 2026

Abstract

Idioms reflect how speakers conceptualize emotions through language and culture. This study aims to identify the conceptualization of emotions in German and Indonesian idioms and to examine the cultural influences underlying their similarities and differences, using a qualitative contrastive approach grounded in Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory to analyze idioms expressing anger, happiness, sadness, and fear. The findings reveal both direct and indirect conceptual equivalents. Direct conceptual equivalents indicate that many emotion idioms in both languages are shaped by shared embodied experiences, including bodily reactions, spatial orientation, and the heart as the seat of emotions. Meanwhile, indirect conceptual equivalents indicate that comparable emotions are often expressed through different metaphorical images shaped by cultural, historical, and environmental factors. Therefore, the conceptualization of emotions in German and Indonesian idioms shows the interaction between universal embodied cognition and culture-specific metaphorical elaboration.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

jer

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Education Mathematics Social Sciences

Description

Journal of Education Research is a peer-refereed open-access journal which has been established for the dissemination of state of the art knowledge in the field of education. This Journal is published for time per year at March, June, September and December by Perkumpulan Pengelola Jurnal PAUD ...