从意象到识解——Langacker认知语法研习札记(I)

From imagery to construal: Reading notes on Langacker's Cognitive Grammar(I)

任何语言学理论都有一个发展和完善的过程。认知语法,作为认知语言学中发展最成熟、影响最大的语言学理论之一,也是如此。意象是Langacker曾经使用的重要概念之一,随着认知语法的发展和日臻完善,这一概念逐渐被识解所替代,但这并不是一个简单的术语替代问题。对意象和识解这两个概念的梳理表明,识解概念的使用避免了意象概念可能引起的混淆,排除了以意象定义意象的循环嫌疑,保留了意象原定义中的应有之义。同时,识解概念的界定及其维度的调整不仅增强了解释力,也更具一致性和连贯性。

Any linguistic theory undergoes a process of development and improvement,so does Cognitive Grammar( CG),which is one of the best-developed and most influential theories in cognitive linguistics. The term image / imagery is one of the most important concepts employed by Langacker in his CG. With the development of CG,this concept is gradually replaced by the term construal. This is not merely a replacement. Our brief survey of the two concepts image /imagery and construal shows that the employment of construal avoids the possible confusions caused by image / imagery,averts the suspicion of circularity in the definition of image / imagery,and reserves the meaning of mental image by using the verb conceive in the definition of the term construal. Furthermore,the definition of construal,together with the adjustment of its dimensions,increases its explanatory power and gains greater consistency and coherence as well.