委婉语的转喻认知阐释

A Cognitive Approach to Metonymy in Euphemism

转喻是在同一理想化认知模型中一个概念实体为另一概念实体提供心理可及的认知过程。转喻理论为探讨委婉语的认知理据提供了一个新的视角。在理想认知模型框架下,转喻涉及两个类型的概念构型:整体与部分及整体的部分之间互换而产生的转喻关系。结合英汉相关语料,从认知转喻角度,对委婉语的生成机制进行了阐释。

Metonymy is a cognitive process in which one conceptual entity provides mental access to another conceptual entity within the same idealized cognitive model. The theory of metonymy provides a new perspective for the study of euphemism motivation. Within the framework of idealized cognitive models, the types of metonymic - producing relationships are subsumed under two general conceptual configurations ： Whole ICM and its part （s） and Parts of an ICM. This paper, by drawing data from English and Chinese languages, attempts to offer an explanation for the formation of euphemisms from the perspective of cognitive metonymy.