A Discussion On The Shift Of Vantage Point

Cognitive linguists believe that to study meaning is to study how men conceplualize. Conception results from the interaction between our body and our perception to the world. A main source of perception is from the observation of men to the world. The position that an observer adopts with respect to the evoked entity is called vantage point by Ronald Langacker in his book Grammar and Conceptualization. An observer can see different vievvings at different positions. So vantage point plays an important role in our perception. It will affect the properties of our conception, or interpretation of meaning. People usually to make a whole sense of an evoked entity by shifting their vantage point. Therefore, researches on vantage point as well as its shift are quite necessary. So far as I know, the research involved in it is not inspiring, and Langacker himself indicated in his book above mentioned that he wouldn't indwell in this point. I will take (his point as my research concern, trying to discuss its functions and applications by analyzing vantage point and its shift from cognitive point of view. This thesis is divided into three chapters:Chapter one introduced the relevant theories that my thesis based on, largely on vantage point and its shift proposed by Ronald Langacker in Grammar and Conceptualization, and its importance in our cognitive activities.Chapter two described in detail that how vantage point shifts in term of observer, which is analyzed in three cases: (1) both the observer and the observed are men; (2) the observed are objects and scenes; (3) the observed are time and action state in a given lime. After I discussed the above three cases, I found the shift of vantage point demonstrated three functions in our cognitive activities: (1) it determines the turn of characters in scenes to think or act; (2) it plays a cohesive role in our cognitive processes; (3) its modes of shift indicate the relationship between time and action.Chapter three is applications of its three functions: (1) application to identify the point of view in some literal works; (2) application to interpret postmodern works exemplified by analy/ing Babysitter, (3) application to judge verb tense and aspect.The final part of my thesis is conclusion, in which I also pointed out the defects that existed in my thesis together with my prospect to the research on shift of vantage point.