Force-dynamic Theory Based Study On Synaesthetic Metaphor

Synaesthetic metaphor is not only a rhetorical device but also a cognitive tool used for people to cognize the objective world. It is an important cognitive means used for describing human perceptual experience via describing a sensory experience in terms of another. It refers to a dynamic and cognitive mapping process which maps from one sensory experience to others. Image schema, by coincidence, is exactly the one which is to project spatial structure onto abstract conceptual structure for the purpose of re-describing perceptual experience.(Oakley,2004) Thus image schema can be used to describe synaesthetic metaphor. Talmy’s force dynamics is a kind of basic image schema used to construct conceptual system of language. It is a concrete way of describing people’s abstract thinking process and also a visualized expression that is to interpret the dynamic mapping among various interactive domains of conceptual metaphors by applying the force principles based on mechanics. Talmy’s force-dynamic theory is an important theoretical model which can analyze the working mechanism of synaesthetic metaphor with its extraordinary explanatory power, makes it a very effective and realistic instrument for the analysis of synaethetic metaphor. The previous researches about synaesthesia focused on its rhetorical function, while its metaphorical function escapes our ordinary attention. Plenty of researches have been done only from rhetorical perspective but seldom from cognitive perspective. This thesis applies the theoretical framework of Talmy’s force-dynamic theory to offer an elaboration on synaesthetic metaphor from the perspective of cognition and disclose its dynamic cognitive process and meaning construction process, for the purpose of demonstrating the feasibility of the cognitive explanation of synaesthetic metaphor within the framework of force-dynamic theory, and revealing the cognitive rules of synaesthetic metaphor as well.This thesis mainly illustrates:(1) Force-dynamic image schema generation of synaesthetic metaphor. This thesis classifies synaesthetic metaphor into two categories from psychological and social perspective respectively and combines with force-dynamic theory to explain the dynamic cognitive process, including generation conditions and types of force-dynamic image schema on the above two categories, points out the reasons of its generation are two aspects:the integrity of the human cerebral cortex (the physiological aspect) and the basis of human bodily experience(the psychological aspect).(2) The meaning construction process of synaesthetic metaphor. This thesis points out that the basic construct condition and construct means of meaning construction about synaesthetic metaphor are respectively semantic conflict and semantic transfer, and semantic transfer only can be achieved by way of cross-modal mapping. That through these operations can make the innovative meaning of synaesthetic metaphor emerged and the dynamic image beauty of "dance with chains" is ultimately able to be recreated.Study based on such a theoretical model reveals more about the innate characters of synaesthetic metaphor and may provide us with a new point of view to probe into the internal structure of language. The force-dynamic theory visualizes human cognitive process with intuitive and directly-perceived force-dynamic image schemas which make it easy for human beings to grasp the metaphorical meaning of synaesthetic metaphor as well as enable us to make full use of this metaphor when we are engaged in literary creation. With its forceful and persuasive explanatory power, the theoretical model of Talmy’s makes it possible for us to probe into the working mechanism of synaesthetic metaphor from a new perspective.