A Cognitive Study Of Interpersonal Relationships In Chinese And English Idioms

As the essence of the language, idioms play an important role in humans'daily communication. In view of their importance, the study of idioms has gone a long way. At present, numbers of works pay attention to the idioms mainly from the following aspects: definitions for idioms, classification of idioms, the structure of idioms, and interpersonal function of idioms, etc. Besides, along with the development of comparative linguistics, comparative study on English and Chinese idioms receives more popularity. Most of the comparative studies focus on the cultural differences between Chinese and English idioms, the cultivation of metaphorical competence and pedagogical enlightenment on language teaching. But based on the interpersonal relationships in English and Chinese idioms, the writer touches the cognitive differences between interpersonal relationships in Chinese and English idioms, which have never been explained systemically.Since Lakoff & Johnson's Metaphors We Live By in 1980, cognitive study has reached a new level. And there are also some comparative studies of Chinese and English idioms from cognitive perspective, for instance, from the angle of emotions and human bodies. However, such studies just select certain classification of the idioms. The writer tries best to cover all kinds of interpersonal relationships in common Chinese and English idioms to discover some cognitive differences between them. But the premise is the classification of interpersonal relationships. The writer summarizes studies on classifications of interpersonal relationships at home and abroad so that a common classification standard can be used in this thesis.Different from the previous comparative studies of Chinese and English idioms which focus on the structure of idioms, this thesis attaches much importance to the real meaning of idioms, regardless of the form. Idioms in this thesis accommodate various types, including set phrases, sayings, proverbs and slang. The writer concerns about the semantic equivalence, rather than the form. Thus, the thesis can better indicate the cognitive differences in interpersonal relationships between Chinese and English idioms. What's worth mentioning, cognitive perspective in this thesis refers to conceptual metaphor and metonymy. Comparative analysis is adopted by this thesis, after the exhaustive and careful collection of idioms from popular and authoritative Chinese and English dictionaries of idioms. The comparison between interpersonal relationships in Chinese and English idioms is made thoroughly. And some cognitive differences are found through some tables and the following analysis in Chapter Five.Analyzing interpersonal relationship in Chinese and English idioms, this thesis can provide some evidence for the cross-cultural study on interpersonal relationships in English and Chinese. Besides, it enriches Lakoff and Johnson's theories of conceptual metaphor and metonymy.Finally, this thesis indicates implication for the comparative study on interpersonal relationships:it points out direction for further study on idioms, and more concrete cognitive differences on interpersonal relationships between Chinese and English idioms can be discovered.