论英语习语中的隐喻

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概念型教学在英语习语隐喻教学中的探究

178美眉 2023.10下教研与美育大学校园概念型教学在英语习语隐喻教学中的探究王宁（渤海大学，辽宁　锦州　121013）摘　要：英语习语教学是一大棘手问题。

传统的教学把习语看成一个整体，认为语义不能够被分析，学生只能反复记忆，导致教学效果不佳。

然而，认知语言学家认为大部分习语的含义是可以分析的，其与人的认知以及文化有关。

概念隐喻认知机制可以为习语分析提供语义理据。

因此，本文以概念隐喻理论为指导，为学习者提供习语的隐喻概念，帮助学习者在理解习语表层含义的基础上，探究其背后的隐喻动机，加深学习者对习语隐喻含义的理解，培养运用隐喻思维理解习语的能力。

并结合概念型教学，采用具体的方式促进学习者对习语隐喻概念的内化，使其在交际活动中灵活地运用习语。

关键词：概念型教学；概念隐喻理论；英语习语教学一、引言英语习语是英语民族根据长期实践经验创造出的特殊语言表达，蕴含着特有的文化和认知方式。

英语学习者由于缺乏英语民族的历史文化背景知识，遇到习语时往往会感到手足无措。

另外，传统习语教学将习语看作固定的词组，以为其在语义上不可分析，因此习语对于学习者来说是个棘手的问题。

认知语言学家认为大部分英语习语的含义是可以被分析的，它们有些是有理据的。

习语不仅仅是语言本身的产物，它产生于人的认知结构，是隐喻思维在语言中的再现形式（张镇华等，2006）。

习语是概念性的，习语含义与人类的概念系统以及文化知识有关联。

因此，大部分习语仅从字面分析无法推测出它的含义，我们应考虑其概念体系和认知方式，将表面含义与底层概念意义联系起来，去把握习语的真正含义。

学习和掌握习语的重点在于深入探究其内涵，特别是隐藏在其中的概念隐喻（文秋芳，2013）。

概念隐喻理论揭示了习语语义的理据性及可分析性，为英语习语教学提供了新的视角。

概念型教学侧重于明确、完整的特定领域概念知识的系统指导和内化。

因此，开发第二语言隐喻能力被认为是合适的，因为隐喻通常涉及具象概念和抽象概念之间的系统映射，是对语言概念理解的根本（Lakoff ， Johnson， 1980）。

英语习语中的概念隐喻

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关键词：念隐喻：射：概映习语：境语
中圈分类号：１Ｈ３３
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从英语汉语中的习语、成语、委婉语看隐喻能力和隐喻运用

从英语汉语中的习语、成语、委婉语看隐喻能力和隐喻运用大约公元前300年，亚里士多德就在他的《诗学》和《修辞学》中多次提到了隐喻的构成方式和修辞功能。

之后，隐喻作为语言的一种修辞手段，一直是传统修辞学的研究重点。

20世纪70年代至今，认知语言学不仅仅把隐喻看作一种简单的修辞手段或语言现象，而把它上升为人类的思维现象去研究，把它看作一种认知模式，大大拓宽了隐喻研究的范围。

本文通过几个英汉习语（成语）和委婉语的对比，试图讨论隐喻作为一种思维现象是全人类共有的思维能力，但民族文化的差异使隐喻又具有了民族约定性。

一、隐喻能力——人类的共性思维能力认知语言学认为隐喻实质上是从一个概念域（认知域）向另一个概念域的映射，初始概念域成为始发域，被映射的概念域叫目的域，人们通常是用具体范畴去映射抽象的范畴。

Bolinger 曾指出：人们的隐喻机制自孩提时代就已经开始了。

大自然并不以有序的方式自动地呈现在儿童面前，儿童被赋予感知世界的能力，儿童生来即有辨认相似性的能力。

这种能力超越其他任何潜能。

例如，二至四岁的儿童，常常将“妈妈”这一概念泛化，他们除了认识自己的母亲外，在认知其他事物时会得出“鸡妈妈”“鸭妈妈”等结论。

可以说这是一种简单的隐喻思维能力，是以人类自己的亲缘关系去认知其他事物关系的结果。

大量研究结果证明了“导管隐喻”“时间即空间”等隐喻的存在具有普遍性，这也说明不同语言的使用者都拥有隐喻思维的能力。

作为一种基本的认知模式，隐喻是我们运用相对具体、结构相对清晰的概念去理解相对抽象的概念的主要途径。

例如：在现代市场经济社会，人们常用空间概念种中“上”“下”结构去理解经济市场的结构，市场份额上升是rise，下降是go down ；也用“高”“低”去划分抽象的社会阶层，the poor（穷人）正在消失，代以the lower income bracketer（低收入阶层），相对的就是the higher income bracketer（高收入阶层）。

浅谈英语习语中的隐喻【开题报告】

开题报告英语浅谈英语习语中的隐喻一、选题的背景、意义（所选课题的历史背景、国内外研究现状和发展趋势）英语习语是英语语言的精华，其数量可观，内容包罗万象，使用极其广泛。

隐喻是人类语言的共有现象，在人们的日常生活中无处不在。

作为语言精华的习语也蕴含着大量的隐喻。

在传统修辞学中，隐喻是一种非常重要的修辞格。

当代隐喻理论则认为，隐喻不仅是一种语言现象，而且还是一种认知现象和思维方式。

一切语言都是建立在隐喻思维基础上的。

习语与隐喻的关系犹如语言和思维的关系。

因此，研究英语习语中的隐喻具有十分重要的实用价值。

它对英语学习者更好地了解英语习语的历史背景和文化内涵，从而提高对习语的理解和应用能力、语言认知能力、思维能力以及交际能力等都有着重要作用。

英语习语的研究通常以英国学者L.P.Smith的研究作为开始。

Smith于1925年发表了《词与习语》（Words and Idioms）一书，成为早期习语研究的代表。

从20世纪30年代至50年代，随着结构主义语言学理论的蓬勃发展，以结构主义理论为基础的词汇、语义和句法理论也被用来解释习语的深层结构和语义特征。

这个时期的代表人物C.F.Hockett强调了语境在识别和解释习语中的重要地位。

20世纪60年代，以B.Fraser为代表的语言学家开始用生成转换理论来研究习语的深层结构，尤其是习语的转换功能。

他承认习语的固定性，但认为固定性是个程度问题，大部分习语的确存在不同程度的转换不足，但仍然具有转换潜力，因此他提出了习语的固定性等级理论。

从20世纪80年代开始，习语研究进入了一个崭新的、繁荣的阶段，许多学者突破原有的研究模式，开辟了新的研究途径。

习语研究出现了一些新亮点，并取得了一些可喜的成绩。

首先是习语意义的理解模式，其次是认知语义学在习语意义研究方面的应用，再者就是习语交际功能的研究。

隐喻理论的研究可以追溯到古希腊时期。

西方最初的隐喻研究发源于古典修辞学。

Plato与Aristotle分别开启了西方隐喻研究的浪漫主义与古典主义传统。

英语习语中的隐喻现象(可编辑)

英语习语中的隐喻现象摘要本论文围绕英语习语中的隐喻现象展开先介绍了隐喻的概念和习语的概念比如隐喻的含义从古至今就有不同的人不同的学派对此做过研究至于隐喻和习语之间存在着怎么样的关系许多学者也对此进行了研究本文例举了几位比较有名的学者的研究比如Lakoff和Gibbs这两位学者本文的重点是介绍习语的隐喻特征这部分是通过3个方面来论证的本位隐喻方位隐喻和结构隐喻这三方面有其不同的特点主要是以例子来说明通过举例的方式可以让读者能更直接地了解英语习语中的隐喻现象关键词习语隐喻派别ABSTRACTThis paper focuses on the metaphorical phenomenon in English idioms firstly introducing the concepts of metaphor and idiom Take the definition of metaphor for example since the old times many scholars of different schools have different ideas In terms of relationship between metaphor and idiom many scholars carried out their own studies This paper cites the viewpoints of several famous scholars like Laoff and Gibbs This paper emphasizes the metaphorical features of idioms from the ontological metaphors orientational metaphors and structural metaphors These three kinds of metaphors have different characteristics which are explained through examples The way of citing examples enables the readers to get access to the metaphorical phenomenon in English idioms more directly Keywordsidioms metaphor schoolsContents1 Introduction 12 The concept of idioms and metaphors 321The concept of metaphors 3com definition of metaphors 3com classification of metaphors 422The concept of idioms 4com definition of idioms 4com features of idioms 53Research on the relationship between metaphors and idioms 631Lakoffs study 632The Gibbss study 733 Other scholars study 84Metaphorical features of idioms 841Ontological metaphors and idioms 8comsonification 9com The container metaphor 9comA case study of ontological metaphor 1142Orientational metaphors and idioms 11com The analysis of metaphoric meaning about UP-DOWN 12com The analysis of metaphoric meaning about FRONT-BACK 13com A case study idioms denoting the concept of love 1443 Structural metaphor and idioms 15com The internal systematicity 15com The external systematicity among the different structuralmetaphors 16com A case study 185 Conclusion 196Acknowledgements 207References 21IntroductionIn our study of English we always come across metaphor which is widely used in English sentences and can indicate vivid meanings However we dont have a clear understanding of this rhetoric Traditionally metaphor is a figure in which one thing is compared to another by saying that one is the other But according to cognitive linguistics metaphor is defined as understanding one conceptual domain or cognitive domain in terms of another conceptual domain The study of metaphor has attracted the attention of many scholars In the West there have been many different approaches to the study of metaphor In 1457 Aristotle studied metaphor as a transference of name which was known as Aristotelian Approach The traditional linguistic approach studies metaphor as a deviant phenomenon in language which produces either a false statement or an ungrammatical sentence The pragmatic approach takes metaphor as a special speech act and metaphorical understanding as the interplay between knowledge of the language system knowledge of context and background schematic knowledge about the world and the society and the interaction approach understands metaphor as an interaction between two subject systems Nietzsche Shelly Werner Cassirer and Reddy all reflects on metaphor as cognitive phenomenon from the perspectives of philosophy literary criticism psychologyanthropology and linguistics respectively The Knowledge and Language was written by Ankersmit in 1993which briefly introduced the theories of metaphor the research ways to metaphor Kirsten Malmkjaer compared the constructive theory and replacement theory in The Linguistics Encyclopedia In The Encyclopedia of Philosophy 1967 Beardsley introduced many kinds of metaphoric theories in particular In China the dominant approach over the centuries has been the rhetorical approach that studies metaphor as a figure of speech Lan Chun once said This approach pays a special attention to distinguishing metaphor from other figures of speech and to dividing metaphor into incessantly increasing sub-groups [8]49Idioms are frequently used in our language both in English and Chinese Idioms are special kinds of phrases whose meaning can not be grasped from the superficial perspectives According to the statistics an adult uses more than 20 million idioms all over his life which means 7000 idioms per week It sounds unbelievable but it is true In this way we may have a better understanding of the important status of idioms in the language In 1994 the scholar Nunberg divided the idioms into three kinds decomposable idioms abnormal decomposable idioms and nondecomposable idioms In The Comprehensive of Idioms Cacciari and Tabossi divided the idioms into transparent idioms opaque idioms according to the degree of transparency However in the eyes of Fernando idioms are composed of pure idioms semi-idioms and literal idioms In the understanding of mechanism of idioms two explanations have been brought up compositional view and noncompositional view On the basis of noncompositional view in 1973 Bobrowand Bell put forward Idiom List Hypothesis which means the literal meaning of idioms exists prior to the rhetoric meaning However Swinney and Cutler were against it so Lexical Representation Hypothesis came upOn the other hand on the basis of compositional view Gibbs and Nayak put forward Idiom Decomposition Hypothesis in cognitive psychology In China Zhang Peiji studied the construction and meaning of idioms In 1998Chen Daoming issued an article in Foreign Language talking about the development of understanding idioms Also there are many other scholars who contribute to the research of idiom in China like Hua Xianfa Lin Weiyan etc This study based on the previous studies is expected to make clear the definition of idiom and metaphor from different perspectives what is more the relationship between them is also the focus of the study The use of idioms can achieve better communicative effects and are conceived to be a sign of language proficiency This study has theoretical significance and it may confirm the learnability of idioms through conceptual metaphor approach In the process of learning idioms people can not only remember and imitate but also get access to its deep constructions especially the metaphorical significance of the English idioms2 The concept of idioms and metaphors21 The concept of metaphorscom definition of metaphorsWhen we refer to the study of metaphor there have been many different approaches in the western countries Aristotelian approach studies metaphor as a transference of names the traditional linguistic approach studies metaphor as a deviant phenomenon in language whichproduces either a false statement or an ungrammatical sentence the pragmatic approach takes metaphor as a special speech act and metaphorical understanding as the interplay between knowledge of the language system knowledge of the context and background schematic knowledge about the world and the society In the traditional way we always regard metaphor as a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another by saying that one is another For example He is a tigerHein the sentence is the target which is the described element whiletigeris called source which is the describing element According to Lan Chun this approach pays special attention to distinguishing metaphor from other figures of speech and to dividing metaphor into incessantly increasing sub-groups [8]111 The interactionist approach begins to recognize the cognitive value of metaphor thus paving the way for the emergence of the cognitive theory The cognitive view of metaphor can provide new insights into how certain linguistic phenomena work It can also shed new light on how metaphorical meaning emerges The work which marks the establishment of the cognitive approach to metaphor is Lakoff ＆Johnsons Metaphor We Live By metaphor means metaphorical concept The definition then is explained in the way Metaphor refers to understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another conceptual domain It claims that metaphor is pervasive in everyday life not just in language but in thought and action and our ordinary conceptual system in terms of the fact that what we both think and act is fundamentally metaphorical in nature We often talk about life in terms of journey about time in terms of money about love also in terms of journey and many others The concept of JOURNEY the source domain is usually used to talk aboutthe concept of LOVE the target domain The reason why concept A can be understood in terms of concept B is that there is a set of systematic correspondences between the source and target domain in the sense that constituent conceptual elements of B correspond to those of A com classification of metaphorsAccording to the view of Lakeoff＆Johnson metaphor can be divided into three1 Structural metaphor is known as one concept metaphorically structured in terms of another In structural metaphors the source domain provides a relatively rich knowledge structure for the target concept The cognitive function of these metaphors is to enable speakers to understand target A by means of the structure of source B For example ARGUMENT IS WAR in this metaphor the target domain ARGUMENT is structured in terms of a more familiar domain WAR2 Orientational metaphor does not structure one concept in terms of another but instead organize a whole system of concepts with respect to one another as they are related to spatial orientation It concerns about up-down in-out on-off deep-shallow and so on For example HAPPY IS UPSAD IS DOWN3 Ontological metaphor is described as a way of viewing events activities emotions ideas as entities and substances That is to say our experience of physical objects and substances provide a basis for an extraordinary wide variety of ontological metaphors For example THE MIND IS AN ENTITY the ENTITY refers to something concrete22 The concept of idiomscom definition of idiomsNo one can give a noncontroversial answer to the question of what idiom is That is to say there is no clear-cut definition for the term idiom The traditional view holds that idioms are semantically arbitrary What is common in the traditional view is that idioms are essentially noncompositional and their meanings are unanalyzable and arbitrary While the cognitive linguistics provides us a new perspective on idioms It argues that the parts of an idiom have their individual meanings and the relationship between the meanings of the parts and the meaning of the idiom is compositional that is idioms are regarded to be analyzable semanticallyDifferent dictionaries give the different definitions about it and many linguists hold different opinionsA group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words New Oxford Dictionary of EnglishA special kind of phrase It is a group of words which have a different meaning when used together from the one it would have if the meaning of each word were taken individually Collins Cobuild Dictionary of IdiomsA phrase whose meaning is different from the meaning of each word considered separately These phrases have a fixed form―they usually cannot be changed―and they are often informal but they can also be slang rude slang or even slightly formal Many idioms are used in spoken English but they also appear in newspapers and magazines in books and even in academic writing Cambridge Dictionary of American idioms An idiom is an expression which functions as a single unit andwhose meaning can not be worked out from its separate parts Longman Dictionary of Applied LinguisticThere are broad sense and narrow sense in defining idioms In its broad sense idioms in English refer to set phrases colloquialism proverbs and slang expressions In its narrow sense idioms in English refer to some special fixed phrases But not all fixed phrases are idioms For example close your eyes is a common fixed phrase but it is not an idiom because each word in it is used in its standard meaning Keep your shirt on however is an idiom because the phrase does not mean not taking off your shirt but means staying calmIn my thesis I will focus mainly on the narrow sense of idiomcom features of idiomsNow we have discussed the definition of idioms we have known there exist different views as different schools or linguists define idioms from different perspectives Some may describe it from the semantic perspective claiming the meaning of idioms are analyzable however some point out the semantic properties are the most important to idioms So here it is necessary for us to discuss the semantic characteristics of idioms According to the view of Luo Shiping there are five semantic characteristics of English idioms [19]901 The meaning of an idiom is a single unit That is to say an idiom must be learned as a whole Its overall meaning is not a simple combination of each components meaning For examplelet the cat out of the bagmeans to tell somebody secret information which seems to have nothing to dowithcatanddog2 Most idioms have both literal meaning and figurative meaning and they are different For examplebread and butterrefers to two kinds of food literally while figuratively the idiom means something that people need in order to live such as money and jobs3 The literal meaning of some idioms are apparently against thinking logic or life logic such aseat ones head off4 New idiomatic meanings can not be obtained by analogy or inference Takeunder the weatherfor example it is incorrect to coin a phraseabove the weatherto mean to feel well for the phrase means to feel uncomfortable5 Figurativeness is an obvious feature of the idiomatic meaning as well as a significant figure of speech employed in idioms In this sense they include simile idioms such asas blind as a batfeel like a fish out of waterand metaphorical idioms such asan old flamecarry a torch3 Research on the relationship between metaphors and idiomsIn the previous sections this thesis has discussed the definition of metaphor and idiom from various perspectives However they are not independent of each other The next part is to clarify the relationship between metaphor and idiom which enables the readers to understand firstly what is the relationship between metaphor and idiom secondly to what extent the research on the relationship between metaphor and idiom has reached The thesis elucidates this part by citing the researches made by two important linguists31 Lakoffs studyIn Lakoffs book Metaphor We Live By a large amount of idioms werefrequently taken as examples of conventional metaphors implying the facilitating role of conceptual metaphor in the comprehension of idioms According to the view of Lakoff the link between conceptual metaphors and idioms was established with the proposition of the conceptual metaphor theory language is metaphorically structured idioms as a constitutive part of language are supposed to be metaphorically structured Lakoff criticized the traditional view that the meaning of idioms are arbitrarily formed and statedwhen idioms have been associated with conventional images it is common for an independently-motivated conceptual metaphor to map that knowledge from the source to the target domain [16] Lakoffs analysis also shows conceptual metaphor is helpful in distinguishing idioms similar in meaning For examplecrack upandbreak downboth are used to describe peoples psychological state but it is still confusing to distinguish Crack upis governed by the metaphor THE MIND IS A MACHINE as if the mind has an on-off state That is to say when a machine breaks down it simply ceases to function If someone is unable to function for psychological reasons we would like to saycrack upwhilebreak downis governed by the metaphor THE MIND IS A BRITTLE OBJECT that is to say when a brittle object shatters it flies into pieces that may cause dangerous consequences such as hurting people around When someone goes crazy wild and violent he or she may hurt somebody else then we would like to saybreak down32 Gibbs studyGibbs research contributes greatly to the psychological studies on idiom comprehension and offers us valuable inspiration for the studyof idioms Gibbs view is similar to Lakoffs His research proves that idioms are not dead metaphors and they have more complex meanings that are motivated by conceptual metaphors linking the idiomatic phrases to their figurative interpretations the meanings of idioms are not arbitrary but motivatedly peoples tacit knowledge of conceptual metaphors as suggested by Lakoff Gibbs has carried out a series of experiments the feature of which is the use of mental imagery The subjects were asked to form and describe their mental images for different idiomatic expressions and then they were asked a series of detailed questions about their images regarding the causes and effects of different events within their images The result showed that the participants demonstrated great consistency in their responses to the questions for the idioms with similar figurative meanings despite the differences in their surface forms33 Other scholars studyLakoff and Gibbs have made great contribution to the studies on the relationship between metaphors and idioms Also based on Lakoffs study Kovecses and Szabo summed up the conceptual metaphors on FIRE which contributes to the construction and comprehension of the idioms related to fire These conceptual metaphor serve as a bridge linking two independent domains a domain of fire and a domain of an abstract concept ANGER IS FIREHe was spitting fireLOVE IS FIREThe fire between them finally went outIMAGINATION IS FIREThe painting set fire to the composers imaginationCONFLICT IS FIREThe killing sparked off riotsENERGY IS FUEL OF FIREHe was burning the candle at both ends4 Metaphorical features of idioms41 Ontological metaphors and idiomsOntological metaphor is one of the three types of metaphors and is usually described as ways of viewing events activities ideas emotions etc as entities and substances [16] As long as we are able to identify our experiences as identities or substances then we can refer to them categorize them group them and quantify them and by this means reason about them The most important characteristics of ontological metaphor is to view abstract things as concrete things For example 1 we need to combat inflation 2 That was a beautiful catch In 1 the abstract noun inflation is regarded as concrete person In 2 the act of catch is regarded as a concrete thing The following are the most obvious types of ontological metaphorscom PersonificationThe most obvious ontological metaphors are those where the physical object is further specified as being a person Personification is considered to belong to ontological metaphorsFirst lets look at the two examplesA Life has cheated meB Anger has pinned us to the wallIf we look closer to the above two sentences we are able to find out that both of the two sentences enable us to see nonhuman as human It allows us to understand a wide variety of experiences with nonhuman entities in terms of human motivation characteristics and activities The most obvious ontological metaphor are those where the physical object is further specified as being a person In the second sentence anger is personified It gives us a vivid picture about how anger acts In this sentence anger seems to hurt us attack us and kill us So we can understand that personification is a general category that covers a wide range of metaphors which allows us to make sense of phenomena in the world in human terms This kind of sentences are Disease finally caught up with him His religion tells him that he cannot eat pork Inflation has given birth to a money-minded generationcom The container metaphorThe container metaphors are the other representation of ontological metaphors As we know rooms and houses can be considered to be containers as they have boundaries moving from room to room or house to house is moving from one container to another that is which is also true to our physical beings Each of us is a container with a bounded surface and in-out orientation A clearing in the woods is seen as having a boundary surface and we can view ourselves as being in the clearing or out of the clearing in the woods or out of woods There are different kinds of boundaries concrete or abstract definite or indefinite surface line or point1 The boundary of the tenor is a surfacea The boundary is clear and concreteThis kind of tenor which can be understood as the target in a sentence is concrete such as the human body which we can actually see with our eyes Lets look at the following examples1 I was filled with anger2 He poured out his hatred on us3 She is a warm and caring person insideThe human body can be regarded as a container so can every part of human body1 Her eyes filled with tears2 My stomach is empty3 Your head is full of good ideasb The boundary is obscure or abstractIn this way the boundary of the tenor is generally unseen or untouchable such as water light and air a type of society or culture the ideas or feeling of a human There are some phrases in English such as "in the air" "jump into water" and "read in the sun"1 He was lost in thoughts2 He fell into depression3 I didnt take this responsibility into account2 The boundary of tenor is a lineSome objects with plane structure can also be mapped onto containers for they also have boundaries which are made of lines1 There is a lot of land in Kansas2 What can you see in this picture3 The boundary of tenor is two pointsThe concept of container is pervasive It can be mapped into a three-dimensional space two-dimensional plane and even one-dimensional line The concept of one-dimensional is mostly seen in the concept of time for the time is durable and going to the future constantly The time can be viewed as container because time has the boundary that is the beginning and ending The beginning and ending are definite in special times1 He is trapped in his past2 He did it in three minutescom A case study of ontological metaphorBoth Lakoff and Johnson paid attention to the role of the body in Linguistic expressions and maintained that these expressions reflect and influence our thought in many ways A group of English idioms containing "finger" contribute to different meanings and the finger in English is frequently conceptualized as the actual "doer of thing" If one is doing something or participates in something ones fingers must be "IN" the matter or ones fingers should function and make contact with the matter1 get one s finger into something participate in something2 have a finger in something take part in something3 get ones finger burnt suffer after a foolish act or mistake4 work one s finger to the bone work very hard5 cross ones finger wish for good luck or success6 twist somebody around ones finger persuade somebody without difficulty dominant somebody completely7 get ones fingers out begin work in earnest hurry upOntological metaphor deals with the physical experience in theobjective world We have mentioned above that ontological metaphors allow us to view events activities emotions etc as entities and substances In 1 we can view get ones finger into something as an activity what can be figured out is more than that Just as the idiom conveys if one is doing something or participates in something ones fingers must be "IN" the matter or ones fingers should function and make contact with the matter42 Orientational metaphors and idiomsAccording to Lakoff and Johnson orientational metaphors give the concept of a spatial orientation by "mapping a spatial structure onto a non-spatial concept" Most of them have to do with spatial orientationup-downin-outfront-backon-offdeep-shallowcentral-peripheri calThese spatial directions arise from the fact that we have bodies of the sort we have and that they function as they do in our physical environment Metaphorical orientation is not arbitrary They have a basis in our physical and cultural experiences This section will focus on the directions of up-down and front-backcom The analysis of metaphoric meanings about UP-DOWNIn English we usually use up above over and the verb rise climb to denote the concept of UP The adjectives are upper high superior etc On the other hand the prepositions denoting the concept DOWN are down under or below the verbs are drop sink fall etc1 More is up Less is downIf you add more of a substance or of physical objects to a container or pile the level goes up―Lakoff [16]1 If you are too hot turn the heat down2 Now he has realized that hes already up to his ears in debt2 Good is up Bad is downHappiness health life and control―the things that principally characterize what is good for a person―are all up―Lakoff[16]1 We hit a peak last year but its been downhill ever since2 Things are looking up3 High status is upLow status is downStatus correlated with social power and physical power is up ―Lakoff[16]1 Hes climbing the ladder2 He has a lofty position3 They work under a kind leader4 Having control or force is up Being subject to control or force downPhysical size typically correlates with physical strength and the victor in a fight is typically on top ―Lakoff [16]1 I am on top of the situation2 He is low man on the totem pole3 The director presides over the meeting5 The metaphors about time in English are expressed by up and downNormally our eyes look in the direction in which we typically move ahead forward As an object approaches a person or the person approaches the object the object appears larger Since the ground is perceived as being fixed the top of the object appears to be moving upward in the persons field of vision―Lakoff [16]1 Whats up2 Im afraid of whats up ahead of usBut there are exceptions in English TOWARD A LATER or TIME IS DOWN is also seen in English For example this story was handed down to him by his fathercom The analysis of metaphoric meaning about FRONT-BACKThe words and expressions denoting the concept of "FRONT-BACK" are front and back before and after in front of and behind forward and backward etc1 THE OPEN IS FRONT and THE HIDDEN IS BACKAccording to the normal condition the front persons in a line are easier to be seen and the back persons are blocked and not easier to be seen-----Lakoff1 He is behind the plan2 The case is now before the judge2 THE IMPORTANT IS FRONT and THE LESS IMPORTANT IS BACKThe important person is always in the front of a line and the important thing is firstly dealt with----Lakoff1 I think quality must come before quality2 The prince is before his brother in the line of succession3 THE DEVELOPED IS FRONT and THE LESS DEVELOPED IS BACKThe fast runners will be in the front and the slow runners will be in the back----Lakoff1 The child was backward in learning to walk2 You company is ahead in developing the new technology4 The concept of FRONT-BACK is complex in denoting time When the observer is standing at the road of time the conceptual metaphor isa THE FUTURE IS BACK and THE PAST IS FRONTwhile the observer is marching facing the future the conceptual metaphor isb THE FUTURE IS FRONT and THE PAST IS BACKAs for a lets look at the examples1 The plane was behind schedule2 Lets move the appointment forward from Friday to ThursdayThe above metaphor views time as a road with different points and judges from the perspective of the road thus the past is in front and the future is at the backAs for b Lets look at the examples1 I am looking forward to seeing you again2 He looked backwards forty yearscom A case study idioms denoting the concept of love1 LOVE IS A JOURNEYThe expressions such as we can turn back now and we are spinning our wheels were considered to reflect entirely different and mostly dead metaphors before Yet these expressions do reflect different aspects of our ordinary metaphorical concept of love as a kind of physical journey Each expression listed above reflects a particular entailment of the mapping of journeys onto love a metaphorical mapping in which our knowledge of a concrete domain of experience journey help us better structure our understanding of a more abstract concept love。

英语习语的隐喻认知理据

53英语习语的隐喻认知理据王丹宇（哈尔滨工程大学外语系黑龙江哈尔滨150001）摘　要：隐喻是一种思维方式，英语习语是隐喻性的语言表达方式，概念隐喻是英语习语语义的重要理据，本文阐释了隐喻认知的本质、机制和功能，指出英语习语的语义是有理据和动因的，概念隐喻是人们理解习语语义的理据基础。

关键词：认知；概念隐喻；英语习语中图分类号：H31文献标识码：A 文章编号：1000-9795（2010）05-0253-02收稿日期：6作者简介：王丹宇（），女，黑龙江克山人，从事语言学、英汉对比方向的研究。

基金项目：该文章已获得“中央高校基本科研业务费专项资金”资助，项目编号U F 。

一、引言习语是语言体系的重要组成部分。

大多数以英语为母语者一生中要说两千万个习语，平均每星期说七千个习语。

习语使用普遍频繁，是外语学习者不能回避的现象。

大多数习语与其民族的历史背景、风俗习惯等有关，造成习语很难理解和掌握。

近年来对我国英语学生词汇知识“深度”的研究发现，在所有类型词汇知识当中，习语习得速度最慢，效果最差。

隐喻认知是许多习语的语义理据，本文介绍了隐喻认知的相关理论，指出概念隐喻是习语重要的语义理据。

二、习语习得背景与现状习语习得一直是语言学家和认知心理学家致力研究的重要领域。

习语是具有固定结构，在语义和语法功能上能作为独立单位使用的词组。

它的意义一般不能由各组成部分推断，习语是独特的语言表达方式，是大多数人约定俗成和习惯性的说话方式及某一语言团体由过去经验而形成的概念，属于词汇范畴。

从20世纪70年代，影响较大的习语习得观有两种：一种认为习语是一种特殊的多词单位，其整体意义不等于其组成成分字面意义之和。

如：under the w eather(身体不舒服的)。

受这一观点影响，习语被认为是不可分割的，在掌握时也只能作为固定结构来使用。

研究者在进行习语语义研究时，只关注两种语言习语整体意义之间的异同，而不考虑其字面意义与整体意义之间的匹配程度在两种语言中的具体体现方式。

从英语习语的角度看隐喻的本质

收稿日期：０９０－８２０—９０
般来说，比喻有本体（ｉｎｆｄ，ｓｉｅ）喻体（ｅｉｅ，ｇｉｖｈｃ）ｌ
作者简介：海云（９５）女，刘１６一，汉族，南人，海师范大学教授。河青
・
１９Ｏ・
例如，ｈｉｔｇｂｓｅｂｌｔａｗａＯｗｅｋＴｅｖｓｉａｋｔａｌｅｍｓａｉｎＳ
ｔｔｏｃｏｏａｉｌａｃｒｎｇｏｉｔｈａｕｒｓｈｌｈｄａｆｅｄｄｙｓｏｉｎｅｐｏｎ
贫困期，即缺乏足够的语言表述方式，特别是对
抽象概念的表达，便产生了以此物喻他物的思维方式：以身体某部位喻指其他物体，以近物喻远物。正如古人所云，远取诸物， “ 近取诸身 ” 。以具体事物喻指抽象概念。人类的思维活动便由
宗教信仰和价值观念，是该民族文化的组成部分和载体。每门语言都有大量的习语，习语是语言
“ ，种” 或从 “ 到“ ” 种” 属或是通过类比。几个世纪以来，们对隐喻作了这样的确认：人隐喻与诗学
和修辞学相关，在话语成分层面上及在名称层是
便恰如其分地理解和得体应用习语。
一
同事物之间的相似点。同类事物无所谓相似与
否，就不会产生此类思维过程。按 “ 维贫困也思
、

隐喻理论在英语习语教学中的运用

摘要：河语是英语的重要组成部分Ｏ塞德尔说过” 习语不是英语中可以使用也可以不使用的游离部分・而是英语总词汇中・个必不可分的组成部分 ” 只要是使用英语，不可避免地要接触习语。习语的使用普遍、繁是ｌ语学习者不能回避的语言现。都频夕象，而。然习语又一直是外语学习和教学中最棘手的问题。本文将隐喻理论引入到大学英语习语教学中，以切实解决习语教可学中的若干问题．高学生的习语理解运用能力，进英语教学。提促关键词：习语认知语言学概念隐喻概念转喻常规知识
知功能。在这个理论中，喻被认为是把一个概念域（域）隐源的结
式．整体意义不是其结构成分的简单叠加．而成为英语学习其因与教学的重点和难点．直受到研究者的重视。认知语言学家认一为．言是一由规则支配的体系。仅依靠单纯记忆和模仿，们语人很难学习和掌握好习语如果理解了习语的隐喻概念．意习语注的组成成分与习语整体意义的内在联系．我们就能够具备创造
性地、灵活地使用习语的能力。本文拟从认知语言学的角度出发．隐喻理论引人大学英语习语教学中．析其认知理据 — — 表达方式：（）ｈｒｅｗｅｎＪｙａｄＪｌｉａｌｏｓｏｔＪｙ将分１Ｔｅｆｅｂｔｅａｎｏｉｆｎｌｙｇｅｕ（ａｉｎ

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一、引言隐喻传统上属于文学和诗学研究的范畴,近年来随着普通语言学和应用语言学研究的不断深入,成为学术界的一个热门话题,隐喻研究被赋予了新的生命和活力。

作为英语语言精华的习语,其数量可观,内容丰富,应用广泛,是英语词汇中的一个重要组成部分。

由于受思维方式和文化因素的影响,英语习语在人们脑海中形成的意义往往是十分委婉而隐蔽的。

因此,人们在学习习语时不能仅仅记住并模仿运用,还应该了解习语的深层结构,特别是英语习语中的隐喻意义,从而培养和提高创造性地使用英语习语的能力。

二、理论知识简介(一)关于隐喻的基本知识隐喻是一种普遍现象,它的发展经历了漫长的历史时期,出现了三种主要理论。

“西方最初的隐喻研究发源于古典修辞学……柏拉图与亚里士多德还分别开启了西方隐喻研究的浪漫主义与古典主义传统。

”[1]亚里士多德在《诗学》和《修辞学》两部著作中提出了隐喻的定义,并论述了隐喻的种类、性质及其作用。

中世纪至文艺复兴时期的隐喻研究处于相对低潮,当时的隐喻被认为是一种表达风格,失去了其哲学意义。

16至19世纪的隐喻研究在前一阶段积累的基础上得到了进一步发展。

研究者们以诗学领域的研究为突破口,为20世纪隐喻研究奠定了基础。

20世纪上半叶隐喻研究的焦点集中在语言学上,20世纪下半叶的隐喻研究呈现多元化趋势,在语言学、诗学、认知哲学等各个领域都成绩斐然。

其中布莱克发表的《隐喻》一文成为隐喻研究史上的一个里程碑。

“正是从布莱克开始,隐喻才引起了人们越来越广泛的关注。

”[2]西方隐喻研究史上先后出现了三种不同的理论:比较论(comparative theory )、替代论(substitution theory )和互动论(interaction theory )。

比较论的代表人物是亚里士多德。

基本模式为A 是B ,认为“隐喻可以看成缩短了的明喻”,[3]表达的意思为“A 在某些方面像B ”。

替代论的基本模式也是A 是B ,但在这一模式中,一个陌生的词代替了自有的词,即表达的意思为A 是C 。

对比较论的质疑导致了互动论的产生,这一理论是由布莱克在理查兹学说的基础上发展而来的。

布莱克认为“隐喻性的陈述并不是对形式上的明喻或其他本义陈述的替代,它有着自己独特的作用和结果。

”[4](二)关于英语习语的基本知识习语是英语语言的重要组成部分,也是其精华所在。

每一条习语似乎都有自己特定的形式,历史渊源,文化内涵和使用禁忌,这就要求使用者正确把握其意义。

1.英语习语的定义对于英语习语的定义,历来不同的学者都曾做过总结。

有的学者强调习语构成词的数量;有的学者强调习语结构的固定性;还有的学者强调习语语义的单一性,但总结起来,我们可以说,“习语是结构相对固定的词组或短句,它的意义不是其构成词各意义的简单相加。

”[5]2.英语习语的来源英语习语是英语民族在长期的社会和历史实践中积累下来的一种约定俗成的特殊表达方式,其来源涉及人们物质和精神生活的各个方面。

有的习语来源于人们的日常生活和习俗。

这类习语是人们根据自身生活和工作经验总结而成的,反映了社会传统和习俗,如表示“死”的委婉表达“kick the bucket ”。

据说旧时人在悬梁自尽时常先站在一个倒置的水桶(bucket )上,然后把收稿日期66作者简介李玲(),山东省临沂市人,山东大学威海分校大外语教学部助教,研究方向应用语言学。

论英语习语中的隐喻李玲(山东大学威海分校大学外语教学部山东威海264209)摘要:隐喻是人类语言的共有现象,在人们的日常生活中无处不在,作为语言精华的英语习语也蕴含着大量的隐喻。

因此,研究习语中的隐喻具有重要的价值,对学习者了解英语习语的历史和文化内涵,提高学习者的认知能力,语言思维能力及交际能力都有重要作用。

关键词:习语;隐喻;表现形式中图分类号:G642文献标识码:A文章编号:1003-949X (2008)-07-0110-022008年第7期(总第289期)湘潮(下半月)2008年7月:2008--:1982-:110系好的绳子往脖子上一套,并把垫脚的水桶踢开,这样就一命呜呼了,所以这个习语被喻指死。

有的习语源于《圣经》,其他宗教神话和寓言。

如corn in Egypt(丰饶)源于《圣经旧约》;salt of the earth(社会中坚)源于《圣经新约》;kill the goose that lays(杀鸡取卵)源于《伊索寓言》等。

还有的习语源自莎士比亚戏剧和其他文学作品。

如莎翁戏剧《威尼斯商人》中有pound of flesh(合法而不合理的要求);《查理三世》中有the die is cast(木已成舟)等。

源自其他文学作品的习语,如狄更斯《荒凉山庄》中的cry f or the moon (海底捞月);笛福《鲁滨逊漂流记》中的man Friday(得力助手)等。

三、英语习语中的隐喻英语习语中的隐喻按不同的理论可分为不同的类别,每种分类方法都各有所长,但很难做到面面俱到。

本文将参照陆国强(1999)[6]对英语习语的分类,将其分为动词性习语中的隐喻;名词性习语中的隐喻;形容词性习语中的隐喻和副词性习语中的隐喻四类。

(一)动词性习语中的隐喻动词性习语(idioms verbal in nature)以动词为中心与其他词搭配使用,在句中作谓语。

这类习语主要有三种类型:特殊动词be构成的短语;短语动词;动词短语。

如be hoist with one's own petard这一习语中petard一词是古时用来炸开城门或城墙的炸药箱,点火引爆的人往往有被炸死的危险,这一习语字面意思为“被自己的炸药箱炸上天”,引申为“作茧自缚,害人反害己”。

此外,动词短语也是非常重要的一类。

动词短语中的附属词,如宾语,状语和补语等往往带有修辞色彩,这就是隐喻的作用。

如源于斗牛的see red,据说公牛见到红色的东西就会狂怒,所以斗牛士用红色披风来挑逗公牛。

现在这个习语表示”怒不可遏,火冒三丈“。

再如talk big喻指”说大话,吹牛“,非常生动形象。

(二)名词性习语中的隐喻名词性习语(idiom nominal in nature)以名词为中心,与其他词搭配使用。

这类习语数量众多,内容丰富,很多直接来源于人们的日常生活和经验。

而且“此类习语在其生成、演变和应用的过程中带上了隐含义,逐渐形成了死喻。

”[7]名词性习语往往内涵丰富,特别是源于生活习俗,《圣经》典籍和观念文化等的习语典故源远流长。

如Achilles'heel喻指“唯一致命的弱点”。

源于希腊史诗《伊里亚特》,Achilles幼时被其母亲倒提到冥河中浸过,周身刀枪不入,但其脚踵(heel)没有浸到水,因而成了唯一会受伤并致命的弱点。

特洛伊战争时Achilles所向无敌,但被敌人毒箭射中脚踵而亡,这一习语就具有了隐喻意义而被广泛使用。

(三)形容词性习语中的隐喻形容词性习语主要有以下几种形式:形容词+and+形容词;复合形容词;形容词+名词;+形容词++名词。

由于形容词本身所起的修饰作用,因此形容词性习语中的隐喻相对比较明显。

例如:high and mighty(趾高气扬,神气活现);black and blue(遍体鳞伤);f ree and easy(随便的);fair and square(光明正大的)。

复合形容词:hit-and-run(驾驶员肇事后逃逸的);out-of-the-way(偏僻的,罕见的);round-the-clock(夜以继日的)。

由形容词修饰名词构成的短语数量多,范围广,而且与其所在的语境密切相关。

如big w heel按字面意义直译是“大轮子”,喻指“大人物”或“要人”。

(四)副词性习语中的隐喻副词性习语表达的是本体和喻体之间的时空、方位关系,含义往往由具体延伸到抽象。

这类习语主要有以下三种形式:1.名词+and+名词这类习语与名词性习语的结构相同,但语法功能却不同。

如heart and soul字面意思是“心脏”和“灵魂”,是一个生命的核心部分,喻指“全心全意地”。

类似的习语如:ham mer and tongs(全力以赴地);tooth and nail(拼命地,猛烈地);bag and baggage(完全地,彻底地)。

2.介词+名词这类习语“由于介词的作用使得一个具体的动作或感受概念化了”[8],隐喻就显现出来了。

如:behind the scenes(在幕后,私下地);in a breez e(轻而易举地);w ith f lying colors(成功地,出色地)。

3.介词+名词+and+名词这类习语形象化地表达了其蕴含的隐喻意义,如: between the devil and the deep blue sea(进退维谷,左右两难);through thick and thin(不顾艰难险阻,在任何情况下)。

四、结束语隐喻不仅仅是一种语言现象,更是一种认知现象;同时,隐喻不再是传统意义上的修辞格,而是人类的一种思维方式。

习语作为英语民族在长期的社会实践中积累下来的一种约定俗成的语言形式,是人类思维的载体。

习语之于隐喻犹如语言之于思维,人类的思维离不开隐喻,人类的语言表达也离不开习语。

对英语习语中隐喻的研究揭示了隐藏在语言现象背后的本质,对于我们研究、正确认知和运用习语提供了广阔的空间,从而达到提高语言思维和交际能力的目的。

参考文献:[1]张沛.隐喻的生命[M].北京:北京大学出版社,2004.21。

[2]彭增安.隐喻研究的新视角[M].济南:山东文艺出版社,2006.8。

[3][4]冯晓虎.隐喻-思维的基础篇章的框架[M].北京:对外经济贸易大学出版社,2004.4-13。

[5]骆世平.英语习语研究[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社,2006.13。

[6]陆国强.现代英语词汇学[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社,1999.160-165。

[7][8]张镇华等.英语习语的文化内涵及其语用研究[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2007.151-159。

责任编辑刘雨凡湘潮2008年7月as as:111。