A Cognitive Study Of Metaphor Cluster From The Perspective Of Conceptual Metaphor Theory

Metaphor cluster is a new topic in the study of metaphor both at home and abroad.It combines two or more seemingly inconsistent,uncoordinated and even contradictory metaphors in adjacent discourse to produce specific effects.In traditional rhetoric and stylistics,metaphor cluster is regarded as a misuse of rhetorical devices and a stylistic defect that should be avoided.However,with the deepening of metaphor research,it has been realized that metaphor cluster is mixed but not chaotic.Although metaphor cluster is a regular and prevalent form of conceptual metaphor use in daily discourse,it is a latecomer in metaphor research.Firstly,some basic issues related to metaphor cluster are controversial.So far,there is no uniform criterion for the definition and classification of metaphor cluster.Secondly,many scholars propose that the phenomenon of metaphor cluster challenges the classical Conceptual Metaphor Theory and they call for a new comprehensive cognitive model for metaphor cluster.In addition,previous studies on metaphor cluster have paid more attention to the cognitive processing of metaphor cluster,and relatively few studies have focused on its cognitive effects.In view of this,from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor Theory,this thesis takes the full-year report of Opinion in The Guardian in 2018 as the research object,using mainly a qualitative research method to study the definition,classification,cognitive processing and cognitive effects of metaphor cluster.To make the results more reliable,quantitative research method combining with deduction and induction are supplemented.The thesis finds that:Firstly,as a new and controversial phenomenon,metaphor cluster needs a newdefinition and classification.It is found that metaphor cluster can be defined as the phenomenon of metaphors with mapping structures clustering in the adjacent discourse.Secondly,a statistical analysis of the corpus reveals that metaphor cluster can be divided into four categories.They are relatively evenly distributed in discourse,and the frequency and proportion of alternated metaphor cluster are slightly higher than that of other types.Secondly,in terms of cognitive processing,with the new development of Conceptual Metaphor Theory,a more integrated and comprehensive theoretical framework can be constructed for the online processing of metaphor cluster.This new framework subsumes four cognitive models for metaphor clusters.They are extended metaphor cluster model,paralleled metaphor cluster model,alternated metaphor cluster model and chained metaphor cluster model.Thirdly,in terms of cognitive effects,the new theoretical framework can reveal four cognitive effects of metaphor clusters,i.e.exaggeration,humor,irony and persuasion.