论中西方爱情中的结构隐喻.docx

1、论中西方爱情中的结构隐喻ContentsAbstract 2. Introduction 3. Literature Review 4A. The cognitive study of metaphor 4B. Conception of structural metaphor 4. Homogeneity of Chinese and English structural metaphors of love 5A. Love is a journey 5B. Love is war 5C. Love is a physical force 6D. Love is fluid 6E. Love

2、 is plant 6. Heterogenity of Chinese and English structural metaphors of love 6A. The difference caused by the diversity of ecomomic structure 6B. The difference caused by the diversity of culture 7C. Emotional expression in a different way 7. Conclusion 7Notes 8Bibliography 9Acknowledgements 10Abst

3、ract: Love, one of humans deepest and strongest passions, is expressed in hundreds of ways in human civilization.The abstract concept of love can not be fully elucidated without metaphors. Structural metaphor is a mapping from one conceptual structure to another. Chinese and English structural metap

4、hors of love share a similar central conceptual system because of the cognitive similarity. However, the diversity of national cultures makes differences between them. This paper analyzes the homogeneity of Chinese and English structural metaphors of love; and meanwhile it expatiates the heterogenei

5、ty of them through comparing the cultural diversities.Key words: love; structural metaphor; cognition; culture摘要: 在人类繁衍生息的漫长历史进程中，爱情是人类最厚重久远的感情之一。没有隐喻，爱情这一抽象概念就得不到充分阐释。结构隐喻是指以一种概念的结构来构造另一种概念。由于人类认知的相似性,中英文惯用的爱情结构隐喻有着惊人的相似之处; 而中英不同的民族文化又导致了中英爱情结构隐喻的差异性。本文分析了中英爱情结构隐喻表达的趋同性; 同时通过对中英文化背景异的比较, 阐述了中英爱情结构隐

6、喻表达的异质性。关键词: 爱情; 结构隐喻; 认知; 文化Comparison Between Chinese and English Structural Metaphors of Love. IntroductionLove is a beautiful but abstract thing. Over the course of history it has been artists, poets and playwrights who have made the greatest progress in humanitys understanding of love. Romance

7、has seemed as inexplicable as the beauty of a rainbow.This beauty is visible gragually after metaphor used in this special field.It seems to be a perfect progress in literature that metaphor has become a poetic way to express the nebulous conceptlove. Metaphor is not only a rhetoric device, but a ma

8、tter of thought and action. Without metaphor,people can not fully understand love. People often use specific or tangible things to describe love, through metaphor, people can express love more visually.Metaphors have been being studied since the age of Aristotle. Aristotle believes that metaphors ex

9、ists everywhere anytime in human beings life. However, we must know that metaphors can help human beings better understand the new things, categories and concepts. In 1980, scholars George Lakoff and Mark Johnson published the book Metaphors We Live By. It is claimed that metaphor is one of our most

10、 important tools for attempting to understand partially what cannot be comprehended totally.1 Lakoff and Johnson first put forward conceptual metaphor theory in this book, and try to study human metaphor from the view of human cognition. This paper will focus on studying Chinese and English structur

11、al metaphors of love. Literature ReviewA. The cognitive study of metaphorThe cognitive status of metaphor has been pointed out by many a researcher. Lakoff and Johnson argue that the language of the imagination, especially metaphor is the most significant aspect of our experience as it transcends ra

12、tionality and objectivity. Thus, meaning is the sum of objective and subjective personal experience with categories, which makes the study of figurative language insightful and enriching. The creative nature of metaphor suggests that metaphor making is not reliant on existing objective similarity be

13、tween a source domain and a target domain. “The only similarities relevant to metaphors are similarities as experienced by people”, not objective similarities.2 Lakoff and Johnson propose that metaphors can be based on similarities, though in many cases these similarities are themselves based on con

14、ventional metaphors that are not based on similarities. Similarities based on conventional metaphors are nonetheless real in our culture, since conventional metaphors partly define that we find real. The cognitive linguistics are excessively concerned with the role of metaphor in cognition, instead

15、of trying to explain how metaphor really works, which has aroused criticisms from other linguistics. In fact, metaphor is presented as a cognitive operation, and its import cannot be communicated otherwise. One of the most recent developments in metaphor study has appeared within the framework of th

16、e conceptual metaphor theory.B. Conception of structural metaphorLakoff and Johnson (1980) classify conceptual metaphors into 3 categories: ontological metaphors, structural metaphors and orientational metaphors. Structural metaphors partially structure our every concept and that this structure is r

17、eflected in our literal language. Structural metaphors is most important because it allows us to go beyond orientation and referring and gives us the possibility to structure one concept according to another. This means that structural metaphors are grounded in our experience. Structural metaphors i

18、mply how one concept is metaphorically structured in terms of another.3 . Homogeneity of Chinese and English structural metaphors of loveA. Love is a journeyThe metaphor involves understanding one domain of experience, love, in terms of a very different domain of experience, journeys. More technical

19、ly, the metaphor can be understood as a mapping (in the mathematical sense) from a source domain (in this case, journeys) to a target domain (in this case, love). The mapping is tightly structured. There are some relationships between love and journey.Lover correspond to traveller.Love correspond to

20、 travel tools.The common goal of loving correspond to travel destination.The setbacks of love correspond to difficulties in travel.In the journey of love, both two sides will face various hardship, and sometimes they can overcome difficulties and work hand in hand toward the goals; sometimes, it wil

21、l be difficult to defeat, and finally break up. English examples are:Look how far weve come. Its been a long, bump road.Our relationship has hit a dead end street.We may have to go our separate ways.In Chinese literary works, the concept of using journey to express love also is very common, for exam

22、ple:情长路更长 / 情路艰辛 / 分道扬镳B. Love is warIn this structure, the cruelty and voilence have been mapped to the concept of love. Love likes war, which is a process of fierce competition. Sometimes it need to beat the rival to capture love, filling with the smell of gunpowder. In English, there are some exp

23、ressions:Im just wild about Harry.He constantly raves about her.In Chinese, love also has some similarities to war.他终于获取了她的芳心。/ 他的情敌很多。C. Love is a physical force When we refers to love, we may consider it has something like physical power which can attract people.In this structure, the physical for

24、ce of attraction and friction is applied to love. Such as: His whole life revolves around her.The atmosphere around them is always charged.There were sparks in their eyes.In Chinese, there are also some examples: 他们之间相互吸引。/ 她对他有磁石般的引力。 他们之间迸发出了爱的火花。With the help of magnetic force, these sentences ab

25、ove express the passion andattraction of love.D. Love is fluidAs we all know, fluid, such as, streams, rivers, is used to describe love. Its common to find that love is fluid in container in English.She is filled with love.They fall in love with each other.Chinese also described the love as streams,

26、 rivers. We can find some examples.他对她一往情深。/ 他们很快坠入爱河。/ 情似长溪长不断。E. Love is plantEnglish has the structural metaphor“Love is plant”as well as Chinese, in English, Our love flowered. / Our love grew. In Chinese, we often say: 他们是一对并蒂芙蓉。/ 他们之间萌发了爱慕之情。From these analysis, we can see that homogeneity of

27、Chinese and English structural metaphors of love is not an accident. It can not be ignored that there are always some similarities when human beings express their emotion, no matter where are they from and which language do they use. Although there are many differences between Chinese and English, t

28、he common thinking and the same angle of love cause a similar metaphorical expression. Love has the same concept and essence even we can express it in various ways. Therefore,structural metaphor of love has homogeneities in differrent language and culture. Heterogenity of Chinese and English structu

29、ral metaphors of loveThe similarities of expressing love are almost caused by the same mode of thinking. However, it is known to us all,culture shapes our thinking, behaviour, and communication in more way than one. So does economic system. If we want to penetrate structural metaphors, we should ref

30、er to the national culture under specific background and specific regions. In order to elucidate this concept specifically, we will compare the differences between Chinese culture and English culture.A. The difference caused by the diversity of ecomomic structure Western commodity economy has been r

31、elatively developed, People in English country regard the persons value more important than any other people do, also advocating individualism and egotism. Love is assimilated to merchandise or valuables. Hence, in English, there is a metaphorical concept: Love is commodity. Such as: I paid a lot fo

32、r so little love. I treasured this love.Because of the traditional agriculture, the expression of love in Chinese is totally different. Therefore, the expressions that love is products of agriculture or love is a part of agricultural life are very common to see. Meanwhile, China is the worlds earliest country to product silk. Under this background, people like to compare love to silk. 他一下就坠入了情网。/ 情丝剪不断, 理还乱。B. The difference caused by the diversity of cultureTo a great extent, English c