A Cognitive Study Of Metaphors In Black Flame:An Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory

Under the framework of Cognitive Linguistics,this thesis applies Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory to study the metaphors in Black Flame,a literary work written by the ethnic minority writer Gerelchimeg Blackcrane.Previous studies of Black Flame have focused on ecology,animal narratology and culturology,but have not yet explored the metaphorical representations and cognitive motivations.Cognitive Linguistics regards the conceptual nature and cognitive motivation of metaphors as one of its main concerns.Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory is based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory,which makes corresponding additions and improvements.This theory emphasizes the multilevel view of metaphor and the contextual view of metaphor.The multilevel view mainly revolves around the following four hierarchies: image schema,domain,frame and mental space.The contexts that influence metaphor include the following four main ones: situational context,discourse context,conceptual-cognitive context,and bodily context.This thesis applies Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory to analyze metaphors in Black Flame,specifically exploring the following three questions:(1)What are the main types of metaphors in Black Flame?(2)How are the main types of metaphors constructed in Black Flame?(3)How do the contexts influence the construction of metaphors in Black Flame?The thesis uses quantitative and qualitative research methods to analyze the data.The data is selected from the work Black Flame by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane.The research findings are:(1)The main types of metaphors in Black Flame are divided into three,which are the conceptual domains involving ANIMALS,HUMAN BEINGS and NATURE.Among them,the number of metaphorical expressions of ANIMALS accounts for 73.29%,the largest number,which is subdivided into four aspects according to the cross-domain mappings: appearance,behaviour,emotion and sound.(2)ANIMALS,HUMAN BEINGS and NATURE are constructed through schematicity hierarchy.According to the degree of schema from strong to weak,the different dimensions of a specific metaphor are constructed through four levels of image schema,domain,frame and mental space.(3)Situational context,discourse context,conceptual-cognitive context and bodily context all influence users’ final metaphorical construction through conceptual pathways from different perspectives.The research value of this thesis is mainly reflected in the following two aspects.First of all,the study of metaphors in Black Flame from a cognitive perspective enriches the current research perspectives.Secondly,this thesis has a relevant reference value for studying the application of Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory to Chinese literary works.