The Explanatory Power Of Conceptual Integration Theory For Chinese Cross Talk

Chinese cross talk is characterized as Chinese style art performance. This thesis locates it in the framework of Conceptual Integration Theory and Conceptual Integration Networks in order to prove that Conceptual Integration is a general cognitive activity with strong cognitive explanatory power. Besides, some pieces of Chinese cross talks are analyzed to prove that Conceptual Integration Theory can be used to explain how the humorous effects are generated in different Chinese cross talks. Therefore, a distinct new perspective is provided to study Chinese cross talk, and Conceptual Integration Theory can be applied to explaining more problems, which also enriches Conceptual Integration Theory to some degree.Some pieces of Chinese cross talks performed by outstanding masters are taken as examples, and they are classified according to the projection of organizing frame. Concepts like input space, blend space, generic space, cross-space mapping, emergent structure and compressions of vital relations are employed to analyze those selected examples. According to the projection of organizing frame, it is proved that five integration networks are involved in producing humorous effects of Chinese cross talks, including simplex networks, mirror networks, single-scope networks, double-scope networks and multiple blend networks.