A Prototype Approach To The Interpretation Of English Idiom Variations

English idioms,as a fundamental part of language,have many variations in actual use.Studies of Semantics have demonstrated that the development of word meaning is based on the cognitive categorization and conceptualization of human experience.Cognitive linguistics believes that English idiom variations are conceptual in nature.In recent years,there are some studies exploring English idiom variations from the perspective of Frame Theory and Cognitive Semantics.Luo(2011)has explored English idiom variations by a prototype approach.However,he hasn't provided in-depth analyses of the underlying reasons behind English idiom variations.Therefore,this thesis attempts to interpret English idiom variations from the viewpoint of the Prototype Theory with the assistance of its working mechanisms,namely,conceptual metaphor and conceptual metonymy.Thus we can probe into the underlying cognitive reasons behind English idiom variations and render cognitive researches of English idiom variations more systematic.This study aims to provide a new and effective way for English learners to acquire English idioms and English idiom variations.Prototypical categories can meet the joint requirements of structural stability and flexible adaptability in that they can prevent the overall structure in the categorical system from becoming chaotic and cater to the ever-changing circumstances.So do English idiom variations.In addition,the prototype effect of categories is exactly the result of interaction of these cognitive mechanisms.Therefore,conceptual metaphor and conceptual metonymy,as cognitive mechanisms of prototypical meaning extension,will provide powerful interpretation for English idiom variations.A qualitative method will be adopted in this study.Some English idiom variations will be chosen and analyzed,including lexical substitution,addition,reduction,permutation and so on.Major findings of this study are listed as follows: 1)English idiom variations are products of cognitive activities based on experience.The occurrence of English idiom variations gives further evidence to the Compositional Approach and verifies the contribution of the constituent parts of an English idiom to its whole meaning.2)The substituted and substituting elements in an English idiom normally belong to the same category.However,substitution takes place when the constituent parts of English idiom variations and those of English idioms don't belong to the same category,which proves that the boundary of a category is fuzzy and peripheral members will be integrated into a category by family resemblance.3)Conceptual metaphor can describe the cognitive process and cognitive factors of English idiom variations generated by changing the positions of constituent parts.And conceptual metonymy normally can reveal the cognitive reasons why reduction and substitution occur by offering metonymic operations,such as EFFECT FOR CAUSE.This study has gone further to complement researches on English idiom variations,especially interpreting the motivations of English idiom variations from the perspective of cognitive mechanisms of categorization.However,some limitations still exist in the thesis.Although English idiom variations in this thesis are authentic,they are just a drop in the ocean.It's better for the future study to collect more kinds of English idiom variations from the corpus and then provide a more profound and systematic cognitive explanation for English idiom variations.