英汉人体词“nose”和“鼻”一词多义对比研究

A Comparative Study of Polysemy between English and Chinese Body Terms "nose" and "Bi"

英汉语中"一词多义"是一种非常普遍和重要的语言现象,因为语言的基础是词汇,词汇的核心是词义。而词义拓展的认知机制是隐喻和转喻,一词多义就是在原型义的基础上,在隐喻和转喻的共同作用下向外拓展的,而隐喻和转喻作为人类重要的思维模式和认知手段能体现认知主体的一定的思维特点,因此,对英汉人体词的对比研究不仅能揭示一词多义的拓展规律,而且在一定程度上能揭示中西方思维方式和认知方式的规律。此外,一词多义的研究也能证明词义是文化的载体以及词义具有体验性。

Polysemy both in English and Chinese is a very common and important language phenomenon, because the foundation of language is vocabulary, and the core of vocabulary is the meaning. The cognitive mechanism of semantic extension is metaphor and metonymy. Polysemy is extended based on the meaning of the prototype and the function of both metaphor and metonymy. As metaphor and metonymy are two important thinking modes and cognitive means which can reveal, to some extent, the thinking characteristics of cognitive subjects, the comparative study between English and Chinese body terms can not only reveal the law of semantic extension of body terms, but also the laws of thinking modes and cognitive means of Chinese and westerners. In addition, the study of polysemy can prove meanings of vocabulary are the carrier of cultures and the meanings of vocabulary are embodied.