再论雷考夫范畴化理论的缺陷

Inadequacies of Lakoff's Categorization Theory: Some New Reflections

雷考夫的范畴化理论是认知语言学的重要理论之一,该理论在广泛应用于语言研究的同时,其缺陷也日益引起学界的重视。以往对该理论缺陷的研究多集中在对范畴本质的质疑和在语言研究中其解释力的充分性上,对理论本体的宏观反思较少。本文从雷考夫范畴化理论的本体出发,探讨该理论在宏观层面的不足之处,认为这一理论的缺陷主要包括4个方面:(1)研究视角:缺乏共时与历时的结合;(2)研究语料:缺乏跨语言的多样性;(3)理论基础:忽视范畴原型的相对性;(4)理论核心:内部结构不一致。

Lakoff’s Categorization Theory is one of the important theories in cognitive linguistics. Although the theory has a wide application in language study,its inadequacies gradually draw researchers’ attention. Previous studies on the topic mainly question the essence of categories and the explanatory power of the theory in language study. This paper focuses on a comprehensive reflection of the theory itself. It finds out that the inadequacies of Lakoff’s Categorization Theory include four aspects,namely（ 1） the theory does not study categorization with a combination of synchronic and diachronic perspectives;（ 2） the theory is not verified by sufficient cross-language data;（ 3） the relativity of prototype is overlooked;（ 4） the internal structures of ICM are inconsistent.