“疾病与伤残”委婉语语义构建的认知阐释

A Cognitive Approach to the Semantics of“Disease and Disability”Euphemisms

概念转喻是同一认知域中一个事体通过与其他事体的关系来理解和指称另一事体的认知过程。从话语的语用角度来看,"疾病与伤残"委婉语是以消减由疾病与伤残所带来的不适和尴尬为目的,从而实现语言表达更加含蓄、思想交流更加顺畅、人际关系更加和谐的话语策略;从话语语义构建的认知理据来考量,"疾病与伤残"委婉语则是人类概念转喻认知方式的产物。

Conceptual metonymy is a cognitive process in which one entity is used to understand and re-fer to another entity that is related to it in the same cognitive domain. From the pragmatic perspective of dis-course, the use of“disease and disability”euphemisms is a communicative strategy orienting to eliminate the unpleasantness and embarrassment derived from disease and disability and to achieve more implicit, smooth and harmonious communication. But in terms of the cognitive motivation of discourse semantics,“disease and disability”euphemisms are the product of conceptual metonymy, a way of thinking of human beings.