英语因果复句的认知研究

Cognitive Research on English Causal Clauses

英语因果复句的结构单一固定,语义却复杂多变。研究从认知语言学框架出发,按照英语因果复句中因果关系的显隐性将其分为显性因果复句和隐性因果复句两类,运用"图形-背景"理论和象似性理论阐释这两种因果复句的语义认知机制和理据。研究发现两种因果复句具有不同的认知机制,其图形和背景的分别充当者是不同的;且英语因果复句的语义表达遵循顺序象似性和标记象似性的认知原则。

English causal clauses are simple and fixed in structure,but complex in meaning.This paper aims to explore the semantic formation process of English causal clauses from the angle of human cognition.According to the dominance degree of their cause-and-effect relationships in meaning,this paper divides English causal clauses into two types：explicit causal clauses and implicit causal clauses.Based on the essence of Cognitive Linguistics,this paper explores the cognitive mechanism and motivation of the two types of causal clauses with ＂Figure-Ground＂Theory and Iconicity Theory.The result shows that the respective actors of their figures and grounds are different;their semantic expressions follow the cognitive principles of Sequential Iconicity and Marked Iconicity.