汉英日时间表达的空间隐喻系统——以方位时间词为例

The Spatio-Temporal Metaphors in Chinese,English and Japanese:Localizing Temporal Words

语言中的时域表征一直是学界研究的热点之一,但其语际定量比较却不够充分,对"现在"时域的关注尤显薄弱。本文基于学界的前期研究成果,定量探究汉英日三语方位时间词的时域表征异同,重点关注"现在"时域,并力图对其衍生理据进行综合阐释。研究发现主要有三:(1)汉英日的方位时间指称词与方位时间拓展词基本同质,三者的方位时间指称词与方位时间拓展词均倾向于以"前/后"表征时间,并偏重"前表过去,后表未来";(2)三者的方位时间指称词均可表征"现在",但空间方位"上/下"较之"前/后"易表"现在",其中汉、日均偏好"下表现在",而英语偏爱"上表现在";(3)三者的"前/后"时间表征存在"英语>日语>汉语"的制约性层级,层级越高,水平时间认知越强。汉英日的时域表征异同缘于对"前后图式"和"上下图式"认知模型的不同选择及其交互影响。

Time-domain representation is a long-standing hot topic in linguistics,but its quantitative cross-linguistic comparison is not yet so adequate,and obviously the attention is slightly paid to the time domain analysis of the“present”.Based on previous studies,this paper quantitatively explores the similarities and differences of time-domain representation of localizing temporal words in Chinese,English and Japanese,focuses on the“present”in particular,and tries to make an integrated interpretation of the multiple motivations of the relevant phenomena.It comes to three main findings.Firstly,there is a basic homogeny between localizing time-referring words and localizing time-extended words in Chinese,English and Japanese.FRONT and BACK are preferred by the three languages to represent the concept of time,and the pattern of assigning FRONT pastwards and BACK futurewards is preferred.Secondly,UP/DOWN respectively used in the localizing time-referring words in the three languages are easier to be assigned to the“present”than FRONT/BACK,but Chinese and Japanese prefer DOWN while English prefers UP in this case.Thirdly,all these three languages demonstrate FRONT and BACK with a restrictive hierarchy,i.e.,English>Japanese>Chinese.The higher the level of the hierarchy is,the stronger the cognition of the horizontal timeline is.These similarities and differences in question are motivated by the selection and interaction of different cognitive models,especially by the“front-back schema”and the“up-down schema”.