A Study Of Semantic Motivations Of English Idioms

Idioms are a mirror of a people. They comprise the historical and cultural background as well as the approach to life and the ways of the people. No translator, language learner or language teacher can afford to ignore idioms if a natural use of the target language is an aim. Therefore, with the more frequent communication between the English people and the Chinese people, there is a great demand for more research in English idioms.Idioms are useful devices. They provide users of language with ready-made phrases that communicate a clear, agreed meaning. They add color and variety to the language. But to a non-native speaker, idioms are the most difficult to understand, let alone use them. Thus, in order to improve our understanding of the meanings of English idioms, and to use them more effectively, it is necessary to make a study of their semantic motivations. That is the reason and purpose in my writing this paper.This paper explores semantic motivations of English idioms from not only a cognitive perspective but also a cultural one. Cognitive linguistics is a new approach which took shape with its sound basis during the 1990' s. It holds such ideas: linguistic forms correspond to semantic structures which correspond to conceptual structures which to human experience and that in the conceptualization of experience do metaphor and metonymy play a very important role. So if we want to explain language well, we' d better turn to cognition for help. Cognitive semantics is certainly one of the most important parts of cognitive linguistics. It stresses the study of semantics within the framework of cognitive linguistics. Thus it is right for us to analyze semantic motivations of idioms from the general mechanisms of cognition. Idioms are traditionally thought of as "dead metaphors" whose meanings are arbitrary. Whereas, based on the theories of cognitive linguistics, we hold that idioms are motivated, compositional andanalyzable. The cognitive mechanisms such as metaphor, metonymy and conventional knowledge motivate the meanings of English idioms. By examining groups of idioms which refer to similar concepts, the thesis has a detailed analysis of the relationship between some important cognitive mechanisms (metaphor, metonymy, conventional knowledge) and the meanings of idioms. However, cognitive mechanisms alone are not sufficient for explaining the complex properties of the semantic motivations of idioms. Culture also plays a significant role in the processes of conceptualization. Thus, my research is also conducted from a cultural perspective in order to prevent a one-side-d or compartmentalized approach and to explain the semantic motivations of idioms clearly and thoroughly. Culture, however, is an approximation, a tendency, and an abstraction because it is a dynamic process, instead of a static one. So the classification of culture cannot be quite clear-cut. The paper mainly studies the role written cultural materials, cultural psychology and cultural tradition play in motivating our understanding of the meanings of idioms. What is more, the paper shows us the complexities of semantic motivations of English idioms after a comprehensive study of them and tries to analyze its causes.Therefore, through the study of semantic motivations of English idioms, we come to the following conclusions: English idioms are semantically motivated; the semantic motivations are complicated and multi-dimensional; the study of semantic motivations should be conducted by integrating a cognitive perspective and a cultural perspective.In short, a careful study of semantic motivations of English idioms is made here in the hope that it will better our understanding and improve our using of them in language communication.