Research On Theme Realization In Li Qingzhao’s Song Lyrics From The Perspective Of Mapping Theory

Mapping theory originated in mathematics and was introduced into cognitive linguistics by Fauconnier.It is a theory about semantic corresponding and matching relations and has become an integrated part of cognitive poetics since it appeared.Cognitive poetics is mainly used in comprehending literary works and analyzing literary texts and so is mapping theory.In classical Chinese poetry,mappings are important cognitive mechanisms in the realization of the themes.Mappings can be divided into three types according to their working mechanisms.They are projection mappings,pragmatic function mappings and schema mappings.Projection mappings project part of the structure of one cognitive domain onto another and use one cognitive domain to express and understand the other one.The basis of projection mappings is the cognitive similarities between the two domains and their patterns of manifestation are metaphors including conventional metaphors and creative metaphors.Pragmatic function mappings are mappings between two different objects in the same domain.Their theoretical basis is the cognitive relevance of the two objects and their patterns of manifestation are metonymies and synecdoches.Schema mappings are superincumbent mappings of cognitive schema;their slots and the concrete values form one-to-one corresponding relations.And their theoretical basis is the cognitive match between the slots and the values.This thesis aims to study the theme realization in Li Qingzhao’s Song lyrics from the perspective of mapping theory.Li Qingzhao’s distinctive technique of expressing emotion with natural scenery produces many mappings in her Song lyrics.This thesis picks some typical examples to analyze the realization of their themes with the cognitive mechanisms of the three types of mappings respectively.This thesis attempts to correctly grasp the main ideas of the poetess’ Song lyrics and also provides a new way of appreciating classical Chinese poetry.The thesis firstly introduces the background and the significance of the research and also its own organization.And then it reviews the previous researches on mapping theory and Li Qingzhao’s Song lyrics.Moreover,three types of mappings and their cognitive mechanisms are expounded respectively.After the explanation of the cognitive mechanism of each type of mapping,the analysis of typical examples of Li Qingzhao’s Song lyrics is conducted to figure out how their themes are realized through these mappings.Finally,the thesis summarizes the functions of the mappings in theme realization in Li Qingzhao’s Song lyrics,points out its own limitations and puts forward the corresponding expectations for further researches.