The Localizer In Chinese And Its Conceptual System Of Metaphors

Relations in space and in time are two basic relations by which human being cognize the outside objective world, and many categories in language built and developed are based on these two relations. Relation in space is more basic than relation in time, because the building of any relation in time is based on relation in space. The representation of space relation in Chinese is realized through the localizer, which as a closed class, has cognitive function of constructing conceptual frame. Time relation can be expressed by predicate which has cognitive function of providing syntactic slot. Shanglxia in Chinese shows two word class contrasts of localizer and predicate on the syntactic level, however, their meanings are interconnected behind this contrast, ie locative meaning, active meaning, directional meaning and their extensional meanings form a meaning chain of family resemblance in the basis of prototype. From this starting point, this dissertation analyzes the conceptual structures and metaphorical conceptual structures through the perspective of conceptual metaphor. Based on this analysis, it argues the process of developing from conceptual dependence to conceptual autonomy of shanglxia as component structures, and found the mutual connection and inner consistence based on conceptual structure at the behind of syntactic and semantic contrast of shanglxia.The full text is composed of nine chapters, and the chapters are as follows:Chapter one, introduction. Firstly it points out that Chinese localizer is a single word class which has the cognitive function of structuring conceptual frame. Chinese localizer shang/xia is a fundamental way to represent space relation. Then it briefly introduces study of cognitive semantics about English preposition over, up/down, and Chinese preposition zai, and puts forward the paper's study goal and preference.Chapter two, semantic change and its syntactic consequences. It mainly summarizes the meanings and the syntactic functions of shang/xia as localizer, predicate and verb suffix, and found that these meanings form a meaning chain of family resemblance based on prototype.Chapter three, conceptual structure and its metaphorical forms. It mainly argues the conceptual structure and metaphorical conceptual structures of shang/xia as localizer, and analyzes complex features of ground and figure (base and profile, landmark and trajector) in many kinds of conceptual structures. The component structure of different conceptual structures can constitute static relation scenario and dynamic relation scenario based on metaphorizational function of the localizer.Chapter four, metaphors about body-part. In fact, metaphor about body-part is the basis of other metaphors. As the extension of chapter three, this chapter mainly analyzes the metaphors of different level (or degrees) about body-part head, face, mouth, body, hand, foot, heart, etc. and different metaphorical conceptual structuresabout body-parts show the complex features of ground and figure as well.Chapter five, lexicalization. As the extension of chapter three and chapter four, this chapter chiefly discusses the lexicalization phenomenon of 'x + shang/xia' and its motivation. The lexicalizing process of different lexical items is essentially a process of solidifying of ground, figure and shang/xia, and reducing of the locative meaning of shang/xia, and shows the complex features of ground and figure as well.Chapter six, the projection of cognitive domain. Firstly it distinguishes between three groups of concept: base and profile, ground and figure, landmark and trajectory, and then analyzes the processes and the conditions of shifting (from source domain to target domain) between different cognitive domains based on the levels of metaphorization and conceptual structures. The projection between the different domains follows the metaphorical path from concrete to abstract, while the resemblance between source domain and target domain becomes the validical cue to construe this metaphorical path.Chapter seven, from conceptual structure to syntactic structure. It mainly argues the relationship between the primary conceptual structure and the metaphorical conceptual structure when shang/xia is in front/behind of the nominal component: extension and metaphor. All the syntactic forms of 'x + shang/xia' can be summed up in two cognitive schemas, The representation from conceptual structure to syntactic structure realizes the linear arrangement of a series of arguments. It embodies the filter function of the cognitive world from conceptual structure to syntactic structure.Chapter eight, from conceptual dependence to conceptual autonomy. Aslocalizer and predicate, shang/xia is all component structure of conceptual dependence, but conceptual dependence and conceptual autonomy are comparative. As predicate, shang/xia belongs to another conceptual dependence comparing with the conceptual dependence of localizer shang/xia, while shang/xia will become component structure of conceptual autonomy when it is behind verbs as verb suffix. It explains dependent relations between different conceptions from conceptual dependence to conceptual autonomy, and is a deep embodiment of which syntactic and semantic contrasts of shang/xia show consistence on the level of conceptual structure.Chapter nine, concluding remarks. It gives a summary of this dissertation and summarizes ten groups of Contrastive concept categories in the dissertation, and points out that the ambiguities and asymmetries caused by shang/xia are important issues remain unsettled.