距离性——过去时的认知语言学解读

Remoteness:A Cognitive Interpretation of the Past Tense

过去时最初是一种指称性的时态 ,主要用于表述以说话的时间为参照点过去发生的事情或存在的状态 ,但现在既可用于表达非真实性 ,还可执行委婉语气的语用功能。距离性被认为是过去时的本质特性 ,包括时间距离、真实性距离和心理距离三种。试图通过认知语言学的理论来阐释过去时的语义拓展机制 ,揭示隐藏在其距离性背后的认知理据。

Originally,the past tense is a deictic tense mainlyused to locate an event or state at some point or period in time prior to the moment of speaking.However,it also can be used to indicate the unreality of an event or state and function as a kind of pragmatic softener.Remoteness is regarded as the defining feature of the past tense,including remoteness in time,reality and psychology.This paper aims to explain the mechanism of the semantic extension of the past tense and explore the cognitive motivation behind remoteness.