认知框架下英语词汇多义性的研究

论文摘要

词汇的多义现象是人类语言中普遍存在的现象,是多年来语言学研究的热门课题。在漫长的历史长河中,人们试图从各个角度对多义现象做出解释。但是他们的研究仅仅局限在词汇学领域内,而且人们对于多义性的研究一直争论不休,缺乏系统的总结。英语词汇意义的研究可以分为三个阶段:训诂学阶段,传统语义学阶段,现代语言学阶段。每个阶段的人们都试图用该阶段流行的理论对多义现象做出解释。但是19世纪80年代形成的认知语言学给人们提供认识词汇多义现象本质的契机。它综合了语言学、心理学、哲学、逻辑学的知识对语言现象做出解释,使得许多语言学难题找到了答案,其中也包括多义现象。“head”这个英语单词在产生之初是个单义词“one part of human body containing theeyes,nose,mouth and brain”。随着人类认识的发展,“head”有了扩展含义:借助隐喻它可以表示“person in charge”,通过转喻可以表示“the mind and mental ability”。今天我们可以用“head”这个词表示十几种意义,例如“front position,the front or the mostimportant position”,“the place where a river,valley etc begins”等,这些都是人们通过隐喻的认知模式认识世界的结果。它还可以表示“headache”,“the distance of one head”,“the mind and mental ability”等,这是转喻认知模式起作用的结果。借助于意象图式,“head”可以组成多个短语:“from head to toe”,“hold one’s head up/high”,“oversomebody’s head”等等。事实证明多义现象是人们借助于隐喻、转喻和意象图式认知的结果。总之,认知语言学发现了多义现象的根源,使多义现象的研究更广阔、更深入。这项研究对改善和改进外语教学也有启示。

论文目录

• Abstract
• 摘要
• Chapter One Introduction
• 1.1 A Brief Survey of the Polysemy
• 1.2 Aims of the Thesis
• 1.3 Organization of the Thesis
• Chapter Two Literature Review
• 2.1 Stages of English Meaning Research
• 2.1.1 The Stage of Scholium
• 2.1.2 The Stage of Traditional Semantics
• 2.1.3 The Stage of Modern Semantics
• 2.2 Past Approaches to the Polysemy
• 2.2.1 The Naming Theory by Plato
• 2.2.2 Historical Comparative Linguistics
• 2.2.3 Other Approaches
• 2.3 An Overview of Cognitive Linguistics
• 2.4 Relationship between Cognition and Language
• Chapter Three Theories on Cognitive Models
• 3.1 Theories on Metaphor
• 3.1.1 Cognitive Nature of Metaphor
• 3.1.2 Types of Metaphor
• 3.1.2.1 Structural Metaphors
• 3.1.2.2 Orientational Metaphors
• 3.1.2.3 Ontological Metaphors
• 3.2 Theories on Metonymy
• 3.2.1 Cognitive Nature of Metonymy
• 3.2.2 Types of Metonymy
• 3.2.3 Differences between Metaphor and Metonymy
• 3.3 Theories on Image Schema
• 3.3.1 Cognitive Nature of Image Schema
• 3.3.2 Major Properties of Image Schema
• 3.4 Relationship between Metaphor,Metonymy and Image Schema
• Chapter Four Cognitive Analysis on "Head"
• 4.1 Meanings of "Head" in Dictionaries
• 4.2 Cognitive Analysis of "Head"
• 4.2.1 Analysis of "Head" by Means of Metaphor
• 4.2.2 Analysis of "Head" by Means of Metonymy
• 4.2.3 Analysis of "Head" by Means of Image Schema
• Chapter Five Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Acknowledgements