Iconicity In Trademarks: A Cognitive Study

This thesis aims to apply iconicity theory and its principles to the understanding and appreciation of Chinese and foreign trademarks, trying to demonstrate the correlations between form and meaning in renowned trademarks. Meanwhile, this study proves that iconicity theory plays a key role in publicizing trademarks and promoting products.It is held by Saussure that the relationship between the form of a linguistic sign and its meaning is arbitrary. By the end of 19th, the American philosopher Charles S. Peirce, classified sign into the three kinds of icon, index and symbol. He held that language signs are not only of an arbitrary feature but they are also motivated. Since 1960s, more and more linguists have come to agree that it is a fact that arbitrariness and iconicity both exist in language, and what we should do is to make clear on what levels they coexist and conflict with each other.This thesis begins the discussion with an overview of current linguistic studies on trademarks. It then introduces the theory of iconicity, including the discussion of the nature of language signs, the principles of iconicity and its classification, and the application of iconicity in advertisements. On the above basis, this thesis attempts to show how imagic iconicity, diagrammatic iconicity and metaphorical iconicity are applied in trademarks, aiming to prove that iconic principles are of great use in designing good trademarks.From the study of iconicity in trademarks, we can see that some trademarks mimic concrete things of the nature, and some mimic man's experiences, emotions and thoughts, which proves that there is an inevitable relationship between form and meaning, and the relationship is motivated. The thesis not only starts a new research field of iconicity, but also reveals the economic significance of the theory of iconicity. At the end of the thesis, the writer points out the limitations of this study and give suggestions for future research.