英汉多义词义项“巧合”现象的认知动因分析

Analysis of the Cognitive Causes of the Coincidence in English and Chinese Polysemes

通过对英汉两种语言中多义词的义项的对比分析,揭示了传统语义理论在解释一词多义现象及各个义项之间的理据关系上的欠缺,进一步从人类认知的角度寻求多义词词义扩展的动因,提出英汉众多多义词的义项一一对应说明语言发展具有内在规律性;词义扩展的过程也是人类认知范畴化和概念化的结果;不同的语言在多义词词义扩展上的相似性源于人类共同的思维方式——隐喻式和转喻式思维方式。

Traditional semantic theories fail to provide reasonable explanations for the linguistic phenomenon polysemy and its motivation. An attempt is made to explore the cognitive process that governs the extension of word meanings. In the comparison of the core senses and the extended meanings of many polysemes in English with those in Chinese, many cases of coincidence are found. Such a coincidence reveals that there are inherent rules in the development of word meanings. As a result of categorization and conceptualization in human cognition, extension of word meanings could be ascribed to the similarities in the metaphorical and metonymic ways of thinking that is common to human beings.