认知视角下“足/脚”和“foot”的语义转移构架

Meaning Transference of the Chinese Body-Part Term Zu (Jiao ) and Its English Equivalent "Foot":A Cognitive Perspective

本文以英语中含"foot"、汉语中含"足/脚"的复合词和短语为语料,从隐喻和转喻连续统的视角探讨"足/脚"和"foot"语义转移过程的本质。研究表明:1)在隐喻和转喻的作用下,它们的语义均由原型义延伸变化,产生了如下的义项———基于邻近和突显原则的转喻所指:"动作、性格、情感";基于形貌、功能相似的隐喻所指:"底";基于隐喻转喻互动的隐转喻所指:"实体、空间"。2)"足/脚"和"foot"的语义转移均为以辐射型为主,连锁型为辅的综合型过程。3)英汉语言本身的差异以及英汉民族之间的文化差异必然影响两民族的身体体验,"脚"可转指"人"和"容貌",而"foot"可指代"控制"。4)汉语"足"和"脚"的角色分工可以从语源学角度进行一定的阐释。

This paper examines Chinese compounds and phrases derived from the base word zu (jiao) and their English counterparts in an attempt to study meaning transference from a cognitive perspective. The study shows that (1) under the force of metaphor and metonymy, zu (jiao) and 'foot' have undergone a series of semantic expansions and changes, with the following items derived: metonymical referents based on salience and contiguity such as 'action, character, emotion'; metaphorical referents based on physical and functional similarity such as 'bottom'; and metaphtonymical referents based on interaction between metaphor and metonymy such as 'ontology, space'; (2) the meaning transference of zu (jiao) and 'foot' is defined as a process integrating both radiant type and chain type, with the former dominant; (3) the inherent differences between Chinese and English and the cultural differences between the two peoples have inevitably influenced the bodily experience of the two peoples. For example, the Chinese jiao can refer to 'man' and 'appearance' while the English 'foot' can refer to 'control'; (4) the role division of zu and jiao in Chinese can be accounted for etymologically.