On Cognitive Mechanism Of Fictive Motion Expressions In Chinese

As a kind of ubiquitous and special phenomenon,fictive motion refers to those dynamic descriptions used to depict stationary scenes.Since Talmy first noticed this language phenomenon,many linguists and psychologists have conducted much research on fictive motion expressions.However,the previous research centers on coextension path,advent path,and access path fictive motion expressions.The other categories of fictive motion expressions have long been ignored.This thesis is concerned with emanation path,frame-relative motion and pattern path fictive motion expressions in Chinese from the perspective of cognitive linguistics.Based on the data collected from the Center for Chinese Linguistics(CCL)and ten Chinese contemporary novels,it first explores semantic features of components of the three categories of fictive motion expressions.Then,it compares fictive motion expressions with actual motion expressions.Last,it expounds the generative mechanism of the three categories of fictive motion expressions within the framework of Fauconnier's conceptual integration theory(CIT).The research findings are as follows:(1)Cognitive components of the three categories of fictive motion expressions in Chinese are of distinctive semantic features.? Figure:in emanation paths,the Figure itself is intangible and fictive.In frame-relative motion,the Figure is factively stationary;besides,the Figure is large enough so that it is easy to be observed.In pattern paths,the Figure does factively move and includes more than one entity,but it is the pattern shaped by the moving entities that presents the fictive motion.?Motion:in the three categories of fictive motion expressions,the Motion is represented by verbs.In emanation paths,the motion expression does not refer to the actual motion.Both the frame-relative motion and pattern path fictive motion expressions include the actual motion.?Path:the Path in all the three categories of fictive motion expressions are mainly represented by prepositions.However,in emanation paths,the Path is a continuous straight course which can be linear or planar.In frame-relative motion,the Path is coincided with the course followed by the Figure's motion.In pattern paths,the Path is the particular pattern shaped by the moving entities.?Ground:In emanation paths,at least one of the three sub-Grounds(the starting,medium,and ending Ground)needs to be represented.In frame-relative motion,the Ground must be in a factively fast moving state.In pattern paths,the Ground must be a planar entity.?Manner:in the three categories of fictive motion expressions,the information about manner must be concerned with the features of the Path.(2)Different semantic features in actual motion expressions and fictive motion expressions are observed in terms of Figure,Motion,Path,Ground and Manner.(3)Conceptual integration theory(CIT)can fully expound the generative mechanism of the three categories of fictive motion expressions.However,to a certain extent,the specific conceptual blending processes of them are different.The conceptual blending of the emanation path fictive motion expressions does not refer to the actual motion of physical entities.The conceptual blending processes of both frame-relative motion and pattern path fictive motion expressions include the actual motion of physical entities.To sum up,by exploring the semantic features of components and the generative mechanism of the three categories of fictive motion expressions,the thesis is complementary to the existing research on fictive motion expressions in Chinese.Meanwhile,it further verifies the great explanatory power and extends the research scope of CIT.Practically,it also provides valuable implications for the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language and English translating teaching,and thus it is helpful for both teachers and students to construe and grasp Chinese fictive motion expressions.