隐喻性范畴建构中介的关系属性

The Relational Property of the Mediator of Metaphorical Categorization

隐喻性范畴化是人类认知过程及语言演变中的重要范畴化形式。本文以隐喻加工的不可逆性和传递性现象为切入点,通过对隐喻本体和喻体相似性的属性进行重新考察,指出特征相似性的解释力仅限于规约化同类相比的比较句,并不适用于"以不同类为类"的隐喻性范畴化。与此相对,关系相似性作为范畴中介对隐喻中本体和喻体的范畴错置关系的消解具有更全面的解释力。

Metaphorical categorization is one of the important forms of categorization in the process of human cognition and language evolution. Based on an analysis of the phenomena of irreversibility and transitivity in metaphor processing,this paper reflects on the nature of similarity in metaphor. It is pointed out that the explanatory power of attribute similarity is limited to comparisons which denote conventional within-category terms,yet failing to account for metaphors as categorical juxtaposition of terms denoting out-of-category terms. In contrast,relational similarity can more comprehensively explain the categorical relation between the metaphor topic and vehicle.