英语表量结构建构中的认知机制探析

Analysis of Cognitive Mechanism in the Construction of Classifier Structures in English

选取英语中表量结构的基本形式"a(n)N_1 of N_2"为研究对象,从认知角度探析N_(1量词)、N_(1名词)和N_(1动词)分别与无界性的语义焦点N_2的组合机制。研究发现,英语表量结构的建构通常有四种方式,即N_(1量词)与N_2之间的转喻映射、N_(1量词)的搭配原型(N_2′)与N_2之间的隐喻映射、N_(1名词)与N_2之间的隐喻映射、N_(1动词)与N_2之间的概念整合。其中转喻映射形成的表量结构可视为原型,其他三种类型是在原型表量结构的基础上通过隐喻或概念整合依次拓展而成。这说明英语表量结构的建构是在多种认知操作下进行的一种渐变的、有梯度的过程,不同类型的表量结构之间存在着认知理据性。

Taking ＂a（n） Na of N2＂, the basic form of classifier structures, as study object and from cognitive perspective, this paper aims to analyze the combination mechanism of the boundlessly semantic core N2 and N1quantificr, N1nous and N1verb. It is found that there are four ways through which the classifier structures are produced, namely the metonymic mapping between N1quantifier and N2, the metaphoric mapping between the collocative prototype of quantifier N1quantifier （marked as N2r） and N2, the metaphoric mapping between N1 and N2, and the conceptual integration between N1verb and N2. Of the four ways, the classifier structures constructed by metonymic mapping could be regarded as prototypical one, based on which the other three are shaped respectively through the metaphoric mapping or conceptual integration. So the construction of classifier structures is a gradient process through several cognitive operations and there exist motivations among the four kinds of classifier structures.