比较与范畴化——对隐喻认知处理方式的检讨

Comparison and Categorization:Rethinking Metaphor's Cognitive Processing

隐喻的功能包括解释、描述、评价,能够为抽象和复杂的概念提供理解和沟通的工具。对此,当代的隐喻理论基本不再存疑。但对于隐喻的生成和理解的过程与机制依然有许多争议。以解决这一争议为目的提出的理论,大致可以归为两类:比较理论和范畴化理论。本文对两类理论中的几个代表性观点进行检讨,特别是对影响最大的概念隐喻理论关于隐喻认知处理是比较映射的观点提出质疑,继而肯定范畴化理论的解释力,并指出在语言的和概念的视角之外,应该纳入交际的视角来分析隐喻的认知处理方式。

There is little doubt among the contemporary metaphor theories that metaphor is capable of explanation, description and evaluation and provides us with a tool to understand and communicate about abstract and difficult concepts. But there is still much controversy over the mechanisms and processes involved in metaphorical language production and understanding. To address the controversy, various theories are proposed which fall into two broad classes： comparison theories and categorization theories. Starting from the most influential conceptual metaphor theory, this article examines some fundamental claims in each class, raises doubts about comparison theories, and most importantly, proposes a dynamic view that a communicative perspective should be added to the linguistic perspective and conceptual perspectives in a categorization view.