A Metalinguistic Study On Cognitive Linguistics Terms

Metalanguage, coming from modern logics, put forward by Poland logician Tarski,especially refers to language used to describe object language. Recently, studies ofmetalanguage mainly apply methods, like semiotics, philosophy, systematic functionallinguistics, and comparative methods, to deeply discuss and analyze levels, functionsand application values of metalanguage and its related fields include dictionary,translation, literature and foreign language teaching. Through deep discussion andanalysis, the levels of linguistic metalanguage are clear, and the narrative anddescription function of metalanguage reappear in translation and literature works, andthe current studies of combination with foreign language teaching also attach greatimportance to the consciousness of metalanguage. Linguistics terms are object as wellas metalanguage of linguistic research. The conception of metalanguage is broader thanterminology’s, while terminology, as a part of metalanguage, lies in the paramount place.Not enough attention, however, is paid to metalanguage phenomenon by linguists inacademics. Cognitive linguistics is one of the fastest growing and influentialperspectives. Its language types, discipline types and inner structure of cognitivelinguistics terms are consistent with the characteristics of linguistic terms (Zheng,2006).What is the meaning-construction mechanism of linguistic term metalanguage? Whatare the characteristics of linguistic terms metalanguage? In order to deeply understandthe nature of cognitive linguistics terms metalanguage, this paper takes terminologicalmetalanguage as an entry point on the basis of socio-cognitive perspective, using theterms in Cognitive Linguistic Terminology as corpus and Antconc3.2.4w as ananalyzing tool, integrates dictionaries like Wiktionary, Online Etymology Dictionaryand Oxford Concise Dictionary of English Etymology (2000), combines quantitativeand qualitative analyzing approaches in order to answer questions as follows:(1) Howmany source domains do cognitive linguistics terms involve? What about the frequencyand distribution of various sources?(2) What are the distinguishing features of thecognitive linguistics terms forms?(3) How does the metalingual meaning of cognitivelinguistics terms construct? The research outcomes indicate:1) Among431cognitive linguistics terms, the source domains mainly involve twoaspects: one is language types, and the other is discipline types. There are18language types, among of which, French, Latin, and English take the largest share, accounting for55.92%,25.60%and11.08%respectively in total language types. In addition, thereinvolve41disciplines, among of which, JSJ (Computer Science and Technology), SWX(Biology), DT (Electronic Communications, Automatic Control Technology) and HJ(Environmental Science) are in a dominant place, accounting for18%，11%，11%and11%respectively. The data above suggest that, regardless of terms of cognitivesemantics or cognitive grammar or the rest ones, JSJ (Computer Science andTechnology) and SWX (Biology) have great impact on meaning construction. From thescope of radiation, the cognitive semantics terms are the biggest, cognitive semanticsterms almost contain all sources, both language types and the discipline types.2) The forms of cognitive linguistics terms, characterizing a trend ofdiversification, mainly include single-word structure, double-word structure,triple-word structure, multiple-word structure and sentence structure. Among theseforms, double-word structure accounts for the largest share, about50.81%of the total,and the second is the single-word structure, about24.63%of the total. What’s more, onething drawing our attention is that there are5sentence structures in cognitive linguisticsterms, accounting for0.016%of the total, though. Some implications for understandingthe metalanguage structures of linguistic terms are under this language phenomenon.3) The metalingual meaning construction of linguistics terms is the result ofcombined action by sociological and cognitive elements, and one of the core elements ismeta-metaphor. Through the diachronic study of etymology on these terms, it isclarified that the meaning of cognitive linguistics terms is realized through theconceptual metaphor mechanism--meta-metaphor mechanism, which is the originalcognition of human beings. In the process of metaphor mapping, meta-metaphor isjointly accomplished by social and scientific and technical factors such as ComputerScience and Technology, Biology, Electronic Communications, Automatic ControlTechnology, and Environmental Science and Technology, and the fruit ofaccomplishment of meta-metaphor is metalingual meaning.Cognitive linguistics terms are an important part of linguistics terms, and theircharacteristics and inner meaning construction mechanism reflect the combined actionof cognitive and sociological elements. Therefore, the metalanguage meanings oflinguistics terms rely on the combined action of cognitive and sociological elements.The current research will shed certain enlightenment on terminology research.