An Analysis Of The Poetic Metaphors In Kutadgu Bilig From The Perspective Of Cognitive Linguistics

Kutadgu Bilig1 is a long poem for exhortation written in old Uyghur language by Yusuf Has Hajib in the 11th century in Song Dynasty in Chinese history.Having finished the poem,Yusuf dedicated it to the ruler,which was thought highly of.Therefore,he was honored Has Hajib which means Royal courtier.Kutadgu Bilig is a poem for exhortation,in which there are four main characters,King Rising Sun,Full Moon,Highly Praised,Wide Awake2.The poem sets forth the political views on ruling country and moral ideas and philosophical points of view such as happiness,kindness,knowledge,wisdom etc.Kutadgu Bilig,whose complex ideological system is full of abstract philosophic theory,is dedicated to the ruler.In order to enforce the function of exhortation,the poet makes full use of the vivid poetic metaphors to make the persuasion full of vigour.In ancient Chinese poems,Metaphor is a way of thinking which coexists with poem.As a classical long poem,Kutadgu Bilig features the metaphoric characteristics.As the outstanding characteristic in Kutadgu Bilig,what kinds of characteristics of the poetic metaphor are there in Kutadgu Bilig?And in which aspects?How do the unique poetic metaphors come into being?Where do they source from on earth?What roles do the poetic metaphors play in Kutadgu Bilig?Based on the systematic statistics of the poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig,this thesis analyses the poetic metaphors from the cognitive linguistics hoping to find the answers to the above questions.Meanwhile,the research and the analysis of these questions are not only beneficial to deepening the research perspective and enriching the achievement in theory but also are good for enforcing the coimunication between different cultures in practice.Based on the researches of other scholars and the reference of the related achievements,this thesis,guided by the Conceptual Metaphor and Conceptual Integration Theory,analyses the poetic metaphors systematically with the poetic metaphors used in Kutadgu Bilig as the main data,The analysis reveals the cognitive rules of the poetic metaphors and the factors influencing the poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig based on the cognitive linguistics.Firstly,the integration network is used for the poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig.According to Lakoff and Johnson's Conceptual Metaphor,Fauconnier and Turner's Conceptual Integration Theory,this thesis elaborates the cognitive process and cognitive principles of the poetic metaphors based on the data from Kutadgu Bilig.This thesis draws the following conclusions.First,the poetic metaphor in Kutadgu Bilig is in practice based on body,environment and culture.Second,based on this,the poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig are classified into three kinds:structural poetic metaphor,ontological poetic metaphor,and the orientational poetic metaphor.Third,the integration network of the poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig can be divided into four types:simplex integration network,mirror integration network,coupled with single-scope integration network and double-scope integration network.Secondly,the distribution of the source images of the poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig.The poetic metaphor is a dynamic and systematic combination of body,environment,thought and language,Whose images chiefly derive from human beings and body parts,animals and their furs and feathers,natural phenomenon,natural substance such as mountains and rivers,motion and direction.Thirdly,the factors are identified for influencing the construction of the poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig.The following conclusions are drawn from systematic statistics.First,the metaphorized way of cognitive mode begins with the experience of human body itself and its organs,which are projected onto the abstract and complex concepts.Therefore,the experience which stems from body and its organs consists of the construction of poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig.Second,the existence and development of human beings are closely linked to the environment.In order to live better,humans have to be first acquainted with and then adapt to the nature which is the source of all.Natural experience accumulated is also becoming an important part of cognitive system.Natural phenomena are frequently applied in poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig.Third,the poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig show the values and views at that tirae.The poetic metaphor in Kutadgu Bilig is not the objective embodiment of the objective reality.It shows to some degree the subjective attitude and the perspective of the people.The poetic metaphor "Women are flesh" is a good example to illustrate this.All in all,the poetic metaphors in Kutadgu Bilig accords with the common cognitive process.The images are from the body,the natural phenomenon as conference based on the observation of the heaven and the earth.Thus it forms the experience of feeling,the society,economy,culture and religion etc.Because of the limitation of ability and time,there are still some limitations in both data collection and theoretical exploration.For a further and deeper research in poetic metaphors,richer data needs to be collected and theoretical linguistic analysis still needs to be improved.The author hopes that this thesis can make as much contribution as possible to the development of relevant linguistic theories.In practice,the author hopes to make some contribution to the cultural exchanges between different nationalities in our country to promote national reunification,ethnic unity and social stability.