Cognitive Mechanism Of Lexical Meaning Extension

In this thesis the author is trying to elaborate the whole process of lexical meaning extension and the mechanism by the use of cognitive approach. Lexical meaning refers to denotative meaning of words, excluding connotative meaning. Denotative meaning is concerned with the relationship between a word and the thing it denotes or refers to. Lexical meaning extension in this thesis refers to the whole process of lexical semantic shift and the creation of extended senses. Therefore, the research on such a process will be conducted through contrastive studies of an orientational word, a noun and an adjective word. This thesis may come to conclusions: the metaphorical projections on orientational schemata and concepts help people in the construction of abstract concepts. The abstract and non-orientational concepts may be easily understood in terms of bodily experiences in space. Concepts and schemata can be regarded as materials for processing cognition and thought; while metaphor and metonymy are powerful cognitive tools. They are tools and methods of processing and producing. Metaphor and metonymy play their roles in the materials, such as image schemata, concepts, and proposition.