美国政府赖以生存的架构与隐喻

The Frames and Metaphors the U.S.Government Lives by

本文从认知的视角探讨美国政府赖以生存的架构和隐喻。在第二代认知科学框架内,我们不能仅仅关注事实,而且还要关注事实表述背后的架构和隐喻。文章选取美国共和党与民主党在外交、经济、医保和移民等重大问题上的政治话语,剖析其背后的不同架构和隐喻。分析表明:美国政府话语背后主要的架构和隐喻有:机构(国家)是家庭;执政者(政府或总统)是家长;被统治者(公民或政府官员)是家庭成员;共和党是严父;民主党是慈亲。两个政党的争斗主要表现为对同一事件不同语言表述背后的架构与再架构,二者均极力将政策的表述通过架构的方式与各自的道德观相联,从而进行概念操纵。政策背后的架构和隐喻决定着美国两大政党政策为公众接受的程度。

This paper explores the frames and metaphors that the U. S. Government lives by from the cognitive perspective. Within the framework of second-generation cognitive science we have to focus on the frames and meta- phors behind the expressions of facts rather than facts themselves. After selecting the political discourses given by Republicans and Democrats concerning American foreign policies, economy, medical care and immigration, the pa- per analyzes their respective frames and metaphors. It is revealed that the major frames and metaphors behind the discourses of the U. S. Government are： The Institution [ the Nation] is the Family; The Governing Individual [ the Government or the President ] is a Parent; Those Governed [ the Citizens or the Officials ] are Family Members; The Republic Party is Strict Father; The Democratic Party is a Nurturant Parent. The struggle between the two par- ties is characterized by framing and reframing of the same issues through different wordings. Both of them try their best to achieve conceptual manipulation by linking the expressions of the policies with their own morality through framing. It is the frames and metaphors that determine the acceptance of their policies by the public.