Min, Ju Young. 2014. The difference between Korean and English in the time expressions using spatial concepts. Language Information. Volume 18. 51-72. The present study examined the time-related linguistic expressions in the Korean language and the English language. The way to perceive and to express time- related concepts shows how abstract concepts are expressed through concrete concepts. The existing research revealed that the semantic structures of the time expressions are closely connected to spatial concepts; this is supported by words and expressions that can express both time and spatial concepts across contexts. Considering that the way of using spatial concepts to express time-related ideas is metaphorical, the time expressions are fundamentally metaphorical. The study used authentic data of such usage, which are examples obtained from a corpus, to analyze the difference between the two languages in terms of using spatial concepts to express time-related ideas or events. The results showed that the Korean words for expressing spatial concepts are fully capable of expressing time concepts. In English, however, the words to express both concepts of time and space are relatively limited; the words for time concepts and the words for spatial concepts are not always interchangeable, although they are semantically similar. Such differences between Korean and English can have significance in language learning and intercultural communication.
Key words: time expression, spatial concepts, metaphor, corpus, Korean, English