A Cognitive Study Of Metaphtonymic N+N Compounds

From the perspectives of conceptual structures and ways of cognition, thisdissertation makes a cognitive investigation of metaphorical and metonymicalconstruals of English and Chinese N+N compounds on the basis of the theory ofIdealized Cognitive Models and Reference Point Theory. It is argued that the essenceof interpreting metaphtonymic N+N compounds (MNNC) is actually based on thebackground of the encyclopedic knowledge to establish the association between N1and N2and that between meaning and context.The paper addresses four questions:1) What are the motivations formetaphorical and metonymical construals of MNNC?2) What are the manners ofmetaphorical and metonymical construals of MNNC?3) What is the conceptualbasis for interpreting MNNC?4) What is the process of interpreting MNNC?We propose the following viewpoints based on an investigation of the Englishportals, such as BBC, VOA, CNN; the British National Corpus (BNC); the Englishnewspapers in China, such as China Daily and Beijing Review; the other academicworks related to the study of compounds such as Oxford Advanced Learner’sDictionary (the6th edition), The Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (the5th edition).The major findings of this investigation are as follows:1) Metaphorical construalsexceed metonymical construals in number;2) Similarities in function andappearance are most frequently adopted in metaphorical constuals of English andChinese N+N compounds;3) Transferred designation between elements such asaction, product and location is the most frequently adopted pattern with respect tometonymical construals of English and Chinese N+N compounds;4) We are inclinedto choose the compounding pattern based on the modifying relation between N1andN2rather than the compounding pattern based on the parallel relation between them.On the basis of Langacker’s Reference Point Theory, this dissertation claimsthat the metaphorical process may be regarded as a comparison of the tenor and thevehicle. After classifying and analyzing the types of metaphors and metonymies inMNNC, we have found the cognitive regularities of interpreting these compoundsand proved their partial analyzability. The major findings of this investigation are asfollows: (1) There are two motivations for interpreting MNNC, one is the relationalmismatch between N1and N2, and the other is the mismatch between meaning andcontext caused by the direct relation between N1and N2;(2) ICMs are the conceptual foundation for interpreting MNNC. To be specific,salient features of concepts, conceptual contiguities or, similarities as well asconventional relationships are the conceptual basis for interpreting MNNC. Forexample, in terms of footnote, foot is one part of human body, and note is one kindof human action, there does not have any relations between these two. However, wecan establish the association between foot and note by means of conceptual metaphorand conceptual metonymy, that is, foot in the human body’s location is used todescribe the location of the text on a printed page, and note refers to the action ofcomment generally. Thus, we can make semantic accommodation to attain the finalmeaning of footnote, that is, the annotation placed below the text on a printed page.(3) The cognitive mechanism of interpreting MNNC is the cognition of oneconcept with reference to another. Langacker’s Reference Point Theory provides apotentially powerful model for explaining the interpretation of MNNC. There aretwo kinds of reference point activities with regard to the interpretation of MNNC,that is,a) The chain-like reference model. According to this model, interpretingMNNC involves two linked reference point activities, and the target of the firstreference activity serves as the reference point of the second reference point activity.For example, for qiú-meń (ball-gate, goal), in the first reference point activity, qiúfunctions as a reference point to provide mental access to the target, ball game. Thefirst reference point activity is realized through the conceptual metonymy ofOBJECT FOR ACTION. Then the target of the first reference point activity, ballgames, serves as a reference point of the second reference point activity to providemental access to the target meń. The second reference point activity is realizedthrough the metaphor of interpreting goals in terms of gates.b) The step-by-step reference point model. According to this model, theinterpretation of MNNC involves two related reference point activities, and the firstactivity is the basis for the second one. For example, for hóng-máo (swangoose-feather, swan goose’s feather), in the first reference point activity, hóngfunctions as a reference point to provide mental access to the target máo, accordingly,hóng-máo means swan goose’s feather. In the second reference point activity, swangoose’s feather serves as a reference point to provide mental access to the target, insignificant things.In conclusion, the process of interpreting MNNC is that of establishing theassociation between N1and N2, and that between meaning and context by means ofconceptual metaphor and conceptual metonymy with reference to the encyclopedicknowledge activated by N1and N2.