魔兽恶魔猎手浩劫天赋:idioms 的发展

Since the 1960s, English idioms have received constant attention, both from the point of view of their meaning and also of their form. However, almost all of these arguments stay on the language level. Man’s thinking system, which is more important than the language we use, has been neglected for a long time. Besides, all of the scholars analyzing English idioms from traditional perspectives seem to claim that the meaning of most idioms is not predictable from the meaning of their constituent parts. Idioms are, therefore, demotivated. This thesis，acting against the traditional viewpoint towards English idioms that English idioms are demotivated, attempts to analyze English idioms in order to support the hypothesis that these expressions are motivated by cognitive mechanisms, such as metaphor, metonymy and common knowledge. The conceptual theory developed mainly by George Layoff has been used in order to find whether the figurative meaning of idioms is predictable from the meanings of their constituent parts. The analysis presented in this study has shown that cognitive mechanisms are at work in the process of understanding the figurative meaning of English idioms and in using English idioms. Also, the overall figurative meaning of many idioms is predictable from the meanings of their constituent parts by using the proper cognitive mechanisms. Some findings raised in this paper are also very helpful to English teaching and learning. The main arguments of the present thesis are as follows: First, it argues that metaphor is a very powerful cognitive mechanism. There are mainly three basic metaphors, that is, conceptualized metaphor, orientational metaphor and ontological metaphor. Each one of them is very useful for English idioms’ teaching and learning. Besides, similarity-creating metaphor is also a powerful metaphor, which is very helpful for mastering English idioms and using them in a lively manner. Second, it believes that metonymy is another powerful cognitive mechanism. Conceptualized metonymy is very useful in understanding English idioms containing parts of human bodies such as “hand”, “head”, “face”, “eye” and “nose”, while symbolic metonymy is very helpful in understanding English idioms carrying much religious or cultural information. Finally, common knowledge stored in people’s minds is the most general cognitive mechanism for understanding English idioms, most of whose literal meanings are just examples of their idiomatic meanings. In many cases, the above-mentioned three cognitive mechanisms (i.e. metaphor, metonymy and common knowledge) should be combined in order to best understand and use English idioms. There are quite a few theoretical and practical implications that can be generated from the present thesis. For example, it sheds new light on the nature of English idioms and can promote their teaching and learning. If people are made aware of the cognitive mechanisms which underlie in most parts of a language, and idiomatic language in particular, they will be able to make much better use of them. In addition, an examination of English idioms from a cognitive perspective helps us better understand the way people think and gives us invaluable insights into human psychology. When we set out to learn a new language, we are faced with a truly remarkable task. For it is not just the language we want to acquire, but also the immense world of culture, history, conventions，customs as well as people’s way of thinking which we need to get to know in order to be able to get as close as possible to the level of a native speaker of that particular language. Therefore, the present treatment of English idioms would in a sense help us master English as a second language in a more effective way.