基于语料库的商务英语语篇中的垂直隐喻研究

A Corpus Based Study on Vertical Metaphors in Business English

基于自建的商务英语语料库,我们探讨了垂直隐喻的总体模式、语义投射及语法特点,发现93%以上构成垂直概念的"UP"、"DOWN"都发生了隐喻投射,大部分隐喻意义中,都有概念隐喻"Up is good"、"Down is bad"的痕迹。投射的目的域集中在状态、数量、社会等级及时间等语义域,其中状态域占投射总数的62%以上。此外,垂直隐喻的意义生成有时涉及两次以上的、先隐喻后转喻的投射过程。垂直隐喻的语法表征以副词和介词为主,与其它成分构成复合词时,还可以是名词、动词和形容词,但为数极少。

Based upon a self-built corpus of business English, we made an investigation into the metaphorical pattern, semantic projection and grammatical features of the vertical metaphor. It is found that more than ninety percent of UP and DOWN are metaphorically projected, and there is a trend of GOOD IS UP, BAD IS DOWN in most such projections. The projected domains include states, quantity, social hierarchy and time, and the domain of states makes up more than sixty percent of all projections. Besides, the formation of metaphorical meanings goes through more than two processes, usually with metonymical ones following metaphorical ones. In terms of the grammatical features, vertical metaphors are realized mainly by adverbs and prepositions, and also by nouns, verbs and adjectives, and more often than not, with their compound forms. The present discussion reveals the significance of vertical metaphors in the business English and metaphorical approach to it.