A Cognitive Approach To Euphemism Analysis In Economic Reports

This thesis is an attempt to investigate the applicability of Conceptual Metaphor and Conceptual Metonymy Theory and Conceptual Integration Theory for developing a linguistic understanding of the meaning construction in euphemisms.In previous studies, researchers have seldom explored the process of meaning construction of euphemism. And the author will do further research on euphemism by adopting cognitive linguistic theory, aiming to enrich the previous studies by example analyses of euphemisms in economic reports. With Conceptual Metaphor, Conceptual Metonymy and Conceptual Integration Theory, the author gives detailed analyses of cognitive meaning construction processes of euphemisms about financial crisis, US president election and bailout policy, etc. In the analysis of each case, the author gives detailed steps of its cognitive process on the basis of those three theories.By analyzing the cognitive mechanism of euphemism with these three theories, the author draws the conclusion that euphemism can be explained by Conceptual Metaphor, Conceptual Metonymy and Conceptual Integration Theory, which further broadens the application of the three theories, and helps people get a comprehensive learning about the thinking way and understanding of some aspects of cognitive linguistics of the euphemism creator's. From the perspective of the rationale of cognitive research, people can study the language from the closed structure of language to a dynamic and open knowledge structure. The Conceptual Metaphor and Metaphor is a mapping from the source domain to the target domain or within a single domain, less concerning about the immediate context in which naturally form cognitive language, while Conceptual Integration Theory makes a deeper revelation of cognitive psychological knowledge hidden behind metaphor and metonymy. If the two studies complement each other, the linguistic phenomenon of euphemism and concept might be more prevalently and comprehensively coped with, and the feasibility these theories can be further testified...