CMT-Based Cognitive Study Of Synaesthesia

Synaesthesia is the mixing of sensations; the concurrent appeal to more than one sense; the response through several senses to the stimulation of one. Originally, synaesthesia is a term used in the field of rhetoric and the former researches study it as a rhetorical method. Lakoff and Johnson's Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) provides a new way for the research of figures of speech. Some scholars study synaesthesia from the perspective of cognition and have made some achievements. Even though, these researches are not systematic and profound. This thesis is a study of synaesthesia in English and Chinese from the perspective of cognition. Different from the conventional rhetorical perspective, it tries to study synaesthesia from the perspective of cognition using the research method provided by Conceptual Metaphor Theory. This thesis considers synaesthesia as a subject of thinking as well as a subject of language just as metaphor. So the understanding of synaesthesia must follow human being's general cognition rules. The understanding and application of synaesthesia have a close relationship to human being's culture. The application of synaesthesia is wide in social life. Therefore, the study of synaesthesia from the perspective of cognition has not only theoretical significance, but also important social significance.The thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter One is a brief introduction to the present thesis. In this part, an overview of multidisciplinary study of synaesthesia is presented with a discussion on the relationship between strong synaesthesia and weak synaesthesia, which is based on Cytowic's and Day's analyses. From the discussion, a conclusion is reached at synaesthetic metaphors may have some neural and psychological underpinnings. Chapter Two discusses Lakoff and Johnson's Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). This theory proves that synaesthesia is not only a figure of speech, but also a way of thinking and behavior of man. Conceptual Metaphor Theory provides a study method for the study of synaesthesia from the perspective of cognition. Chapter Three focuses on the study of synaesthesia from the perspective of cognition. In the last chapter of this thesis, the application of synesthesia is discussed in details with abundant examples. The thesis mainly discusses the application in such fields as advertisement, literature and teaching. Through the study, we find out synaesthesia widely exists in our social life and we are using it consciously or unconsciously.Through the study of synaesthesia, we can find out that synaesthesia is a special metaphor and a cognitive phenomenon of man. It is also a tool for human beings to understand the surrounding world and form conceptions. Synaesthesia has its own objective physical and psychological basis. The use of synaesthesia in English and Chinese is largely identical but with minor differences which is determined by the cognitive rules of human beings. Synaesthesia cannot simply be considered as a semantic character of linguistic system whereas we must study it as a metaphor in the conceptual system. By the study, we can prove the new viewpoints of cognition and language, and improve the study of cognitive linguistics.