论隐喻的基本语义特征所体现的人类思维方式

Human Thinking Modes Embodied in the Semantic Features of Metaphor

隐喻不仅是简单的语言现象,而且是一种认知现象。隐喻性语言的语义特征为我们洞察人类思维方式提供了一条途径。隐喻的语义反常性是指隐喻在语义逻辑上的矛盾性,它体现了思维的创新性。隐喻的语义多维性是指语义所指的不确定性,它体现了思维的发散性。不同的隐喻性语言在隐喻性程度上有差别,隐喻使用越频繁,其隐喻性新鲜程度则越低,常规性程度越高;它体现了人类思维的规约化的过程。

Metaphor is not only a linguistic, but also a conitive phenomenon whose semantic features provide a means of getting an insight into human thinking modes. The semantic anomaly of a metaphor refers to the logical semantic incongruity on the surface, which reflects creative thinking. The semantic dispersion refers to the indeterminacy of the denotation of a metaphor, which reflects the open-ended thinking. The metaphoricity of different metaphorical expressions varies in degree. The more frequently a metaphor is used, the less its originality, thus the higher the degree of its conventionality. The degree of metaphoricity reflects the degree of conventionality in thinking.