| Denominalization on natural phenomenon nouns is one of the most frequently used phenomena.Metonymy,as a cognitive process,means that B stands for A.By the analytic approach of corpus(Corpus of Contemporary American English),this paper,from the angle of metonymy,analyzes the cognitive mechanism of denominalization on natural phenomenon nouns on the basis of case study.This essay,by virtue of metonymy,throws light upon the overall using frequency for 25 years(1990-2015)and context frequency in the following genres such as SPOKEN,FICTION,MAGZINE,NEWSPAPER and ACADEMIC.And thus the natural phenomenon nouns can be divided into three kinds based on its usage,whose typical and respective examples(weather,flood and wind)are searched based on their collocation in COCA and further analyzed.The motivation of denominalization on natural phenomenon nouns is thoroughly studied,and then the metonymic mechanism can be understood and generated,and eventually the functional mechanism of denominalization on natural phenomenon nouns is obtained.This paper has the following conclusions: firstly,the phenomenon of denominalization is often used.Denominalization is put into more widespread use in the style of magazine and fiction while it is seldom performed in the academic journals.And the using frequency of denominalization is on the increase from year to year.As a result,the scholars gradually pay more attention to the use of denominalization;secondly,by the analysis of examples in COCA,denominalization on natural phenomenon nouns is motivated by embodiment of economic principle,simplicity and novelty in people's mind,the development of language itself,pragmatic communication,and reflection of the users' social and psychological requirements;thirdly,through the analysis of its collocation,there exists a cognitive mode in denominalization and thus it can be generated.Here is the significance: firstly,the conclusion can be helpful to improve the method of teaching and learning vocabulary.The teacher,by the employment of COCA,may broaden the horizon in teaching,making it not monotonous to teach English vocabulary,while the students may find it more scientific and interesting to memorize the words;secondly,denominalization will facilitate compiling the dictionary.It is constructive for the dictionary compilers to better compile dictionaries in time vie the corpus;thirdly,denominalization will make great contribution for learners in their translation and writing in terms of the choice of vocabulary. |
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