Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in corpus based-study. There are some advantages by using corpus in doing a research, they are generate
and verify new linguistics hypotheses, provide textual evidence in text-based humanities and social science subject, and testing existing linguistics theory and
hypotheses. Moreover, a corpus can be more comprehensive and balance. A corpus, as well, is showing what is typical and common. It can store and recall all
the information that has been stored in a short time, providing a real communication context as examples. Furthermore, it is giving more objective
evidences and frequency of words.
1.5.2 Method and Technique of Collecting Data
The observation method is the best method to use within the study. Sudaryanto 1993: 133 proposed that “observation method means observing the
language use”. Mahsun 2005: 90 stated that “the idea of this method is not just observing the language use orally, but also the use of language in written form”.
Considering the technique used in collecting the data, this study would adopt more the observation method proposed by Sudaryanto 1993: 133-135,
since metaphorical expressions have something to do with a language use, and Mahsun 2005: 90 that showing written language is observed as well in a study,
in this case using COCA as a data source. Therefore, the observation method and note-taking technique would be applied within the study. Additionally, as
mentioned previously that the expressions picked from COCA are expressions that have target domain and source domain in them metaphorically.
Picture 1 – the concordance of the word “God” as the KWIC in COCA
This study uses a qualitative study approach to investigate whether or not there are metaphorical expressions related to God in COCA from 1000 data taken
from it. In addition, the inductive approach would be applied in the study. The inductive approach was applied when supporting the theory applied on the data
being analysed Bungin, 2008: 28. Moreover, within the study, firstly the metaphorical expressions related to God would be found and analysed in order to
support the theory of conceptual metaphor by Lakoff and Johnson 1980.
1.5.3 Method and Technique of Analyzing Data
Bungin 2008: 78 stated that “the methods of collecting data in qualitative research become and are also related with the method of analyzing data because
after the data has been collected, essentially, the researchers have also stayed in step with analyzing the data.
Additionally, in analyzing the data, the method used was Content Analysis Bungin, 2008: 155-159. This Content Analysis has something to do with content
of communication; in this respect are the metaphorical expressions related to God
