因果概念和英语因果句的生成与扩展

论文摘要

因果关系是事件与事件之间的内在联系,由事物与事物之间的致使关系向事件与事件之间扩展而形成。语言中的因果概念是人们对事件与事件之间的因果关系进行概念化的结果。本文将因果概念定义为先发生的原因事件通过自身的影响力引起后发生的结果事件发生这一概念,并以此为出发点,运用原型范畴理论对因果概念和英语因果句的生成与扩展进行了研究,具体内容包括：因果概念的生成、因果概念的原型与非原型特征、因果概念的扩展及扩展动机和扩展机制、英语因果句的生成、英语因果句的原型和非原型成员及其句法特征。研究发现,事件与事件之间的因果关系映谢到概念域即生成因果概念。原型因果概念是物理世界中人们可感知的两个客观事实之间的因果关系在概念域的映谢,这种因果关系分为真实因果关系和惯例因果关系,它们属于非意志性因果关系。非原型因果概念是言者主观认识中的两个事件之间的因果关系在概念域的映谢,这种关系随着人的主观认识的转移而变化,属于意志性因果关系,这种因果关系分为前提-结论关系和前提-言语行为关系。其中的结果事实指言者根据某些事实所做的主观能动性活动,如假设、推断和言语行为等。在因果范畴的生成和扩展过程中,隐喻和主观视角等认知机制发挥了重要作用。文章认为,因果概念经过表征化映射到语言中就生成了因果句,原型因果概念表征为原型的因果句,非原型的因果概念表征为非原型的因果句。在英语中,原因事件和结果事件分别由原因从句和结果主句表征,因果关系则由因果联系词来表征。英语中有如下三种因果句型：（1） [Clause-EFFECT] [because] [Clause-CAUSE] （2） [Clause-EFFECT], [because/for] [Clause-CAUSE] （3） [Since/Because/As] [Clause-CAUSE], [Clause-EFFECT]（1）为原型成员,（2）（3）为非原型成员,它们之间的区别在形式上体现为原因分句与结果分句的顺序不同,因果连词的选择不同和逗号的使用情况不同。本文从因果概念出发来研究英语因果句的生成与扩展,这种研究既可以丰富认知语言学的理论,也可以为研究类似的语言现象提供借鉴。

论文目录

• Abstract
• 摘要
• Introduction
• 0.1 Background of the Current Study
• 0.2 Objectives of the Current Study
• 0.3 Layout of This Thesis
• Chapter 1 Literature Review
• 1.1 Previous Studies on the Cause-effect Concept
• 1.1.1 The Philosophical Approach
• 1.1.2 The Logical Approach
• 1.1.3 The Linguistic Approach
• 1.2 Previous Studies on the Cause-effect Sentence in English
• 1.2.1 The Pedagogic Grammar Approach
• 1.2.2 The Functional Approach
• 1.2.3 The Cognitive Approach
• 1.3 Summary
• Chapter 2 Theoretical Foundations
• 2.1 Conceptualization
• 2.2 Categorization
• 2.2.1 Classical Theory of Categorization
• 2.2.2 The Prototype Theory
• 2.2.2.1 Definifion of Prototype
• 2.2.2.2 Characteristics of the Prototype Theory
• 2.2.2.3 Applications of the Prototype Theory
• 2.3 Metaphor
• 2.4 Summary
• Chapter 3 The Generation and Expansion of the Cause-effect Concept
• 3.1 Definition of the Cause-effect Concept
• 3.2 The Experiential Basis of the Cause-effect Concept
• 3.3 The Componential Elements of the Cause-effect Concept
• 3.4 The Generation of the Cause-effect Concept
• 3.5 The Expansion of the Cause-effect Concept
• 3.5.1 Prototypes of the Cause-effect Concept and Their Semantic Features
• 3.5.2 Non-prototypes of the Cause-effect Concept and Their Semantic Features
• 3.6 The Motivation and Mechanisms of the Expansion
• 3.6.1 The Motivation of the Expansion
• 3.6.2 The Mechanism of the Expansion
• 3.6.2.1 Metaphor
• 3.6.2.2 Perspective
• 3.7 Summary
• Chapter 4 The Generation and Expansion the Cause-effect Sentence in English
• 4.1 The Generation of the Cause-effect Sentence in English
• 4.2 The Expansion of the Cause-effect Sentence in English
• 4.2.1 Prototype of the Cause-effect Sentence in English and Their Syntactic Features
• 4.2.1.1 Prototype of the Cause-effect Sentence in English
• 4.2.1.2 The Syntactic Features of the Prototypes of the Cause-effect Sentence in English
• 4.2.2 Non-prototypes of the Cause-effect Sentences in English and Their Syntactic Features
• 4.2.2.1 Non-prototypes of the Cause-effect Sentences in English
• 4.2.2.2 The Syntactic Features of Non-prototypes of the Cause-effect Sentence in English
• 4.3 Summary
• Conelusion
• Bibliography
• Acknowledgements