The Conceptual Construal of ME TROUTHE in the Canterbury Tales: The Juxtaposition of Chaucer’s and Contemporary English Worldviews

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to focus on the construal of Middle English concept of TROUTHE (truth) in The Canterbury Tales in order to reconstruct the world and culture of Chaucer’s world. The paper juxtaposes ME and PDE concepts of TRUTH thereby reflecting on two distinct cultures and hence on two distinct worldviews. Apart from the lexeme trouthe, the analysis focuses on Middle English synonym of trouthe, namely soth, and pinpoints to the differences existing between them. In my study, I refer to various types of conceptual metaphors in which truth functions as the target domain, and hence as a reference point to conceptualize other abstract concepts. In my analysis, I demonstrate which abstract concepts were inextricably linked with the concept of TROUTHE in The Canterbury Tales. Nevertheless, the analysis of conceptual metaphors is not a final goal, but a means to show a linguistic picture of the world (Bartminski & Tokarski, 1986), and thus to recreate world out of words. In my study, I refer to works by Wierzbicka (2006), and her notion of key words. The emphasis is also put on variation (Kovecses, 2015), which implies diversity of values and thought. My analysis implements the axiological model of the Great Chain of Being (Lakoff & Turner, 1989) as the concept of TROUTHE is studied on the phenomenological level, hence on the level of norms and values.