The Comparative Study of Metaphors -- From Cognitive and Systemic-Functional Perspectives

Metaphors have different expressions in cognitive and systematic-functional linguistics, which are conceptual metaphors and ideational metaphors. Conceptual metaphors belong to traditional vocabulary metaphors, and ideational grammatical metaphors are pointed out by Halliday--the main representative of systemic-functional theory. This paper elaborates on the specific grammatical feature of EST （English for Science and Technology） text--＂nominalization of processes＂ to reveal the source of ideational metaphors. From the analysis of some examples, it is found that nominalization as a grammatical metaphor expresses the transference between process types, so it reveals the essence of ideational grammatical metaphors. Meanwhile, the comparison made between grammatical metaphors and vocabulary metaphors reflects the similarities between conceptual metaphors and ideational metaphors. In this way, this paper comes to the conclusion that the combination of the study methods of metaphors from both cognitive and systemic-functional perspectives is the best way to uncover the basic characteristic of human thinking.

The Impact of Cultural Context on Metaphorical Meaning in English and Chinese

Metaphor is a phenomenon of language use which is the most active and most able to reflect the cultural factor. Cultural context has a restrictive effect on the metaphorical meaning. Therefore, the understanding and use of metaphor must not be divorced from the underlying cultural context. This paper analyzes similarities and dissimilarities of metaphorical meaning and images in English and Chinese from the perspective of cultural context. The research of metaphor of cultural context would enable us to better understand metaphor and have a successful communication.

Translation Strategy of Metaphorical Phrases from the Cultural Perspective

Translators frequently come across metaphors and similes, which are important ways of figure of speech. Figures of speech are actually vehicles of culture, and metaphorical phrases are the essence of human's culture. So the strategies adopted in the translation of metaphors and similes are the reflection of the translators' attitude towards culture. This paper holds the belief that foreignization should be the main translation strategy when dealing with the metaphorical phrases bearing cultural connotations.

Metaphor in Advertising Language from Systemic Functional Grammar Perspective

Metaphor is a common phenomenon in real life.It refers to a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common.As for advertising,foreign studies focus on the analysis of ap plication and effects of metaphor.Based on the historical and current studies on metaphor,this paper aims at analyzing metaphor and its functions in advertising from systemic functional grammar perspective.It pointed out that metaphor,a rhetoric method in advertising language,has many functions,namely,politeness,imagination,subjectivity,objectivity,and textual cohesion,etc.Thus,metaphor can be seen as an important sales strategy,helping the advertisers to establish a good interpersonal relationship with the target audience so as to reach their business aims.In addition,it is also of great importance in that it can stimulate our in terest to learn English,and help us to improve English reading,understanding and writing.

The Metaphorical Analysis of Names in The Story of The Stone

The Story of The Stone is the peak of the art of the novel in ancient China. Its artistic achievement is displayed first of all in its dazzling array of characters. Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, Wang Xifeng, Xue Baochai, Yuanyang, Qingwen, and the others all have their distinct personalities and are true to life as if they were living amongst us. These richly complex characters with their different stations in life and divergent views and philosophies act out an intricate pattern of human relationships and conflicts within the Jia family mansion. Apart from their distinct ways of acting and speaking, the peculiarities of their appearances, dress and living arrangements, the names the author gave them also contribute a lot to the successful display of all these characters.

A Metaphorical Study on Conversions from Animal Nouns to Verbs in English

In the framework of metaphor theory,this paper tries to research conversions from animal nouns to verbs in English,and aims to help English learners to better understand this language phenomenon.First the paper explores the motivations of this language phenomenon,and points out that verbs converted from animal nouns can help enrich the vocabulary,make the expression vivid and concise,and achieve certain pragmatic effects as well.Second,it studies the mechanisms of the conversion by analyzing the mapping process and similarities between two domains.Last it points out the importance of the context and the geographic factor in understanding verbs converted from animal nouns.

Metaphorical Thinking and Information Processing Ability

Practice of Metaphorical thinking in understanding given information promotes the communication of the two hemispheres by a bundle of connecting fibres, the corpus callosum at neo cortex level and through hippocampus at the level of limbic system. Hence, metaphorical thinking helps learners to make connections and develop patterns and relationships in parallel to the language as well as symbols relevant to the given information.

Reflective Teaching-Learning Process of Integrating Metaphorical Thinking and Visual Imagery

Reflective teaching-learning methodology is a self evaluation technique adopted by teachers to promote motivation within one’s own self in order to make teaching-learning process more interesting and effective task. “If the teacher integrates mind tools such as metaphorical thinking and visual imagery in his/her reflective teaching methodology, the teaching-learning process becomes more challenging, the teacher will develop radiant or divergent thinking as the result teaching-learning process becomes learner centered. The work shop targets teachers or teacher trainees to get acquainted with the technique of practicing metaphorical thinking and visual imagery in reflective teaching methodology. Metaphorical thinking [1] is a natural phenomenon of the human brain to find similarity between two different universes of meaning. Visual imagery is another natural phenomenon in which human brain associates text material with structures in one’s own mind’s eye. Integrating these two mind tools consciously in reflective teaching-learning process transforms the teachers as well as teacher trainees to highly self motivated individuals.

Swinging Consciousness or Self-Organizing Chaos as a Resonant System

Consciousness is the gene of resistance that drives evolution by the evolutionary method-empathic Qualia, the subjective perturbation of “natural selection”, and the choice of which is not limited but stress-resistant to mistakes. Looking into the mirror of ourselves, we bring evolution itself to the mirror, which, without blinking, looks with the eye of a frightened gazelle-incredulously-temptingly. Swinging it with a blow to a blow, taking a lunge and reflecting as the shine of slided comet, translating outrage into joy, the most closed resonant system-consciousness works. It is important not to miss any “punch”(knock/sound/word) that is thrown into your consciousness, so that the sound of the universe (and it is she who sends impulses of understanding) turns into improvisation of your own thinking-becoming a landing from “personal Idaho state”, so that the “muscles” of consciousness pumping iron-training do not sleep like a big earthworm that digested fast food (alimentary, cultured), being content with very little and chafing to empty, in order to work, interpreting what is happening near and around you, and comprehend creatively. The cohesion of eidos is so great that thought literally gains weight-you not only get tired quickly in the process of any “thinking”, but you feel that literally the world with weights hangs in your pockets, throwing a couple of blocks with houses and household on your shoulders. And this is all a consequence of the cohesion and microcoupling of all perceptions that revolve in your mind, touching them democratically: with fluids, resonating with waves of meanings, retransmitting impulses of images, and swaddling with the resulting introjections as by current-already according to Maxwell. Let us leave the God of God, art-skillful, and consciousness-seesaw swing of meanings.

An Experimental Study on Metaphorical Teaching Method in College English Students＇ Listening

In recent years, college English teaching has been undergoing great reform. Ministry of National Euducation has extended more and more attention on students＇ speaking and listening ability. To master a language is based on what people hear and understand. Thus, listening comprehension is vital in the college language teaching. In this critical moment, there should be a pratical and effective theory to advance the quality and efficiency of listening teaching and contribute to the whole college language teaching reform. Thus, this experimental research is on the basis of metaphor theory to find a way to improve students＇listening comprehension.

Analysis on the Metaphorical Structure of Education Discourses

Cognitive linguistics has gained more and more attention over the years since it provides new horizon to understand language in relation to human experience. At present, it is of prevalence to study education from the linguistic perspective. This paper tends to center on education discourses, both written texts and educational practices, and understand their underlying cognitive or cultural models by resorting to the metaphorical theory in cognitive linguistics.

An Analysis on the BRICS TALK from the Perspective of Modality System

The tenth BRICS Summit was held in Johannesburg,South Africa in 2018,which attracted attention from the whole world.Especially,it is of great importance to the BRICS nations,for it is the first ten years of BRICS,which marks its growth.Meanwhile,this year the Trump administration imposed more strict policies on protectionism.Particularly,the trade war between China and the United States is so intensive.China,as the core member of BRICS has great clout on BRICS,so the trade war between China and US also arouse a heat discussion among the BRICS nations.During the Summit,CGTN invited experts from the five BRICS nations to discuss related topics.Systemic Functional Linguistics,as one of the most influential branches of Linguistics,was firstly established by M.A.K.Halliday,and it has been greatly developed over the past decades.Interpersonal meaning is one of the three meta-functions,which focuses on how addressers use language to communicate,establish and maintain relationships with addressees,and express their opinions.Mood and modality are two basic resources to the realization of interpersonal meaning.Mood is used to represent the interaction of the language users,while modality reflects the utterers’attitudes and judgments.The paper discusses the three aspects of modality:modal operators,modal adjuncts and metaphors of modality.The paper applies the modality system to the analysis of the transcript of BRICS TALK.The author selects the experts’speeches on the trade war between China and US as the data.The research questions are as followed:(1)the characteristics of the modality resources appeared in their talks;(2)the BRICS nations attitudes and stance on trade war and America’s protectionism.

The Multidimensional Description and Investigation of New Color Terms:A Metaphorical Cognitive Approach

This article studies the new color terms in Chinese.It first classifies the color terms from four linguistic aspects:pronunciation,grammar,semantics,linguistic context and the theory of "Four Worlds," namel,language,physics,culture,and psychology.It then summarizes all the characteristics of the new color terms.The study takes questionnaires as supplementary data,explores and proves the interactive relationship between metaphorical expression and cognitive psychology of new color words.The life span of such new color terms is also discussed.

A Study on the Metaphorical Translation of Pound’s Book of Songs from the Perspective of Cognitive Linguistics

The Book of Songs is the first collection of Poems in China,which is a very important milestone in the history of Chinese literature.There are abundant metaphorical expressions in The Book of Songs,providing valuable resources for linguistics,rhetoric and literature research.This study selects the most representative metaphors of women and marriage in The Book of Songs as the research object.Guided by Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory,this study explores the metaphorical translation in Pound’s Book of Songs from the perspective of cognitive effect.It is found that Pound mainly adopts the translation strategies of vehicle equivalence,vehicle conversion and metaphor to simile in the process of translating female metaphors and marriage metaphors in The Book of Songs.

Metaphorical Construction of Marriage among Kenyan Swahili Speakers

This study investigates how Kenyans conceptualize marriage.It employs Metaphor Identification Procedure in identifying metaphors on marriage as they are used by Kenyan Swahili speakers.Data for this research is drawn from“Mawaidha na Bi.Msafwari”a programme aired on Citizen TV(a Kenyan TV station)every Saturday evening after the seven o’clock news.The metaphors are then subjected to analysis using The Conceptual Metaphor Theory.The study concludes that marriage is construed in different ways by Kenyan Swahili speakers,it is conceptualized as a house,an eatery,a prison,a school,a journey,a road,a body,a government/kingdom,a garden,a war,a relationship and as a baby.The various conceptualizations by Kenyans determine their attitudes and general orientation towards marriage.

A Study of Image-Schema-Based Metaphorical Extension of Verbal Polysemy

The researcher analyzes the distribution and types of image-schema-based metaphorical extension(or IS-based meta-extension) in the semantic extension of 203 polysemous verbs,which can be named as PVs and are randomly selected from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English(2nd Edition,1993).She finds that IS-based meta-extension is pervasive in the semantic extension of verbal polysemy.Specif ically,she f inds 77.83% of the samples can be analyzed in terms of IS-based Meta-extension,and PVs that can be analyzed in terms of path-IS-based,force-IS-based,containerIS-based,path+force-IS-based,and path+container-IS-based metaphorical extension,together making up 70.44% of the samples.

Study on the English Creative Noun-Noun Compounds:Based on Metaphorical Thinking

Creative N+N compounds,also known as metaphor or metonymy N+N compounds,are a productive approach to form new words.This category of words is large in number and semantically complex.Research has demonstrated that the creativity of creative N+N compounds stems from the abstract and figurative thinking of people’s cognitive mechanisms.Abstract thinking facilitates the construction of abstract concepts of nouns,while figurative thinking draws connections within and between noun concepts through association and imagination.Metaphor is a source of creative words and meanings,and Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory is a favorable illustration of this innovative process.Additionally,it contributes to the development of cognitive thinking skills and creative abilities.The study of creative N+N compounds helps English learners expand their vocabulary,enhance their lexical sensitivity,and promote metaphorical thinking.From a cognitive linguistic perspective,this study focuses on the cognitive mechanisms of creative N+N compounds and reveals their advantageous implications for English vocabulary teaching.

Functions of Metaphorical Use of Address Terms

Researches in metaphor and addressing have both aroused great interests among scholars. Metaphorical use of address terms will be one focus of this paper. Functions of address terms have been investigated a lot, but emotional functions are less emphasized. Therefore, this paper will make a tentative study of how people metaphorically use address terms to express the addresser＇s affect towards the addressee within the framework of Appraisal Theory.

An Empirical Study on English Metaphorical Idioms from Cognitive Perspective

English metaphorical idiom expressions are usually incredibly difficult for English learners to acquire because they are stored in long-term memory and specified with regard to their semantic and syntactic structure as well as their pragmatic applicability. Although English idioms are hard to master, some English learners can acquire them as well as native speakers.There must be some efficient approaches in their process of acquiring. This paper tries to study whether the background information of English metaphorical idioms has crucial function or not in the process of language internalization through a series of empirical studies and interviews. It also tries to promote some strategies and suggestions on acquiring metaphorical idioms by contrasting test results from different target groups.