| The relation between word form (WF) and word meaning (WM), arbitrary or motivated, has been heatedly debated. Saussure (1983) defines a sign as the combination of a signifier and a signified, the relation between which is arbitrary. Applying Saussure's sign theory to a word, we can define a word as the combination of the WF and the WM. The relation between the WF and the WM is arbitrary. Saussure's sign theory has been widely accepted. However, Saussure's sign theory seems to over-emphasize the synchronic study of signs while neglecting the diachronic study. It cannot give a plausible answer to the phenomenon of polysemy(, in which a word has one WF but more than one WM. Polysemy is a peculiarity of human speech. Our language would be chaotic and uneconomic if every word had only one meaning. Many studies have been conducted on the analysis of polysemy: two processes leading to polysemy radiation and concatenation have been found; polysemy and homonymy have been discriminated; and polysemes have been analyzed in terms of semantic features; etc. However, these studies are mainly conducted from synchronic and structural perspectives. Diachrony and cognition are not dealt with in the structural study of polysemy.Polysemizing already known words is a most convenient and economic way for human beings to meet their needs of expression. When a word is first used, it usually has only one meaning. With the development of people's needs to further recognize and redefine nature, derived meanings from original words appear. The coexistence of the original In this thesis, polysemy means lexical polysemy without special indication.meaning and derived meanings of a word is the case of polysemy. Polysemy is the result of the diachronic process of WMs. The derived meanings of a polyseme and the meaning from which they are derived are in the relation of motivation. However, the form and the meanings of a polyseme are in an arbitrary relation, which does not deny Saussure's arbitrariness between the signifier and the signified of a sign.Polysemy is the result of the diachronic process of WMs, in which the cognitive abilities of categorization, metonymy, and metaphor play fundamental roles. The meanings of a polyseme, which consists of a category, are related through meaning chains. The core meaning of the polyseme is the prototype of the category. The category is always in a state of change, new members deriving from the already existing members and prototypes splitting. In the process of category enlargement, new members are derived or split from already existing members mainly through metonymy and metaphor. Metonymy and metaphor are two powerful cognitive tools for extension of word meanings. Studies on child language acquisition and a field study carried out by the author of this dissertation among 30 Chinese English learners show that word meanings are mainly extended through metonymy and metaphor from core meanings. The learners' abilities in polysemization through metonymy and metaphor seem universal, having no direct correspondence to their English levels.Through the analysis and research, the author of this dissertation puts forward a tentative conclusion that diachrony and cognition are two drives of polysemy. Polysemy is the result of the cooperation and interaction between diachrony and cognition. The derivative meanings of a polyseme are extended from the source meaning through metonymy and metaphor within a category. In the category the meanings of the polyseme, which are connected through a meaning chain, coexist. This paper is composed of seven chapters. Chapter 1 is an introduction, giving the background information and the intended goal to be achieved. Chapter 2 lays foundations for the study of the following two chapters from two aspects: (1) applying Saussure's sign theory onto word; (2) reviewing structural studies on polysemy and their defects. Chapter 3 explores polysemy from the diachronic perspective. Chapter 4 examines the cognitive functions of categorization, metonym...
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