数学英语中的情态隐喻:类型、表征与分布

Metaphor of modality in mathematical English:Categorization,representation and distribution

本文以数学SCI期刊中的论文为语料,运用语料库的研究方法,探讨数学英语中情态隐喻的类型、表征和分布特征。研究发现,数学英语中的情态隐喻有5种类型:概率、频率、实据、义务和意愿。在取向系统中,它们具有8种不同的表征方式。各类情态隐喻在数学英语中的分布不均衡,分布最广泛的是实据情态隐喻,而义务和意愿情态隐喻非常罕见。整体上,数学英语中的主观性情态隐喻的分布远低于客观性情态隐喻,而显性情态隐喻在不同表征方式的情态隐喻中占据绝对优势。同时,各类情态隐喻在具体表征和分布上也存在较大差异。

This paper aims to adopt a corpus-based study to explore the categorization,representation,and distribution of metaphor of modality in research articles(RAs)in SCI-indexed mathematics journals.It is found that there are five major types of metaphor of modality in mathematical English,viz.,probability,usuality,evidentiality,obligation,and inclination.In the system of orientation,these five types of metaphor of modality have eight different ways of representation.Metaphor of modality of different types are distributed unevenly in mathematical English,with evidentiality metaphor being most widely used while obligation and inclination metaphor very rarely used.In general,there are much more objective metaphors of modality than subjective ones and explicit metaphors of modality dominate in the different representations of metaphor of modality in mathematical English.Additionally,there are considerable discrepancies in the realization and distribution of the specific types of metaphor of modality.