AStudyontheRelationshipbetweenMetaphorandPolysemy

刘珺

【Abstract】There is a certain correlation between the meanings. To some extent， it is the constant production of metaphor makes the meaning of the words change from single to multiple， as the gradually spread of polysemy phenomenon. To some degree polysemy is the result of metaphor.

【Key words】metaphor； polysemy； cognitive means； category

1. Introduction

The vocabulary of a language is always the epitome of the culture and history which it represents. It is closely related to human cognition and thoughts. So， the vocabulary system is a very large and complex semantic network structure. Meaning is the core of the vocabulary， word semantics are dynamic， unfixed. In this process， the polysemy of language symbols is formed.

2. Metaphor and Polysemy

Metaphor as a kind of cognitive structure， promoting the change of vocabulary， provides us with the key to understanding the phenomenon of polysemy and the change of word meaning. That is to say， metaphor as a kind of concept structure build another concept， making the two kinds of concepts superpose and using all kinds of words which are used to describe a kind of concept to describe another different concept. And in this way， polysemy is created. In English， these sensory verbs such as “see， smell， taste， hear” are the polysemous word of the verb see. There are two levels of meanings of the verb “see”； one of the most basic means “watch by the eyes”. The second metaphor means “understand”. Such as： I see what you mean. （I know what you mean）. To see by eyes and you can know what it is， and then there will be judgment， and reorganization， ideas and views will be generated， according to these you can know how to do. From the eyes to the brain， with a kind of concrete body experience you can understand an abstract concept.

3. The enlightenment of the polysemous cognitive mechanism to the English polysemous word teaching

Vocabulary memory methods can be roughly classified into two categories， mechanical memory and logical memory， the former refers to the memory activity only depend on the rapidly recite the words they don't understand and ignore the inner link among the words； The latter refers to the memory which is based on logical thinking as the contents of the memory， it is created above the inner regulation and inner connection of the object， and it is highly generalized， easy to understand and abstract， it is only restricted by the general rule knowledge and concepts， rarely interfered by the external factors， so it is relatively stable and easy to extract. For polysemous word in English， the extension of word meaning is rational， it embodies specifically in the similarity or correlation in logic between the primary meaning and the extended meaning. During the polysemous word teaching， teachers should explain the inner relationship between the primary meaning and the extended meaning to students， guide students to memorize on the basic of understanding rather than rote learning， so as to realize the efficiency of vocabulary memorization.

4. Conclusion

Metaphor is a bridge of reasoning； it leads from the “known” to “completely unknown”， from a known cognitive domain to a new cognition domain. Humans cognitive associate with the body， conceptual metaphor is decided by our experience， it is rooted in our life experience. It is also indispensable from our cognitive activity. Based on the economic principle of language and human cognitive thinking， metaphor and polysemy has inseparable relations， the vast majority of words in English are polysemy. To study the inner motivation of polysemy and the concrete ways of the expansion of the meaning is instructive for the teaching of English polysemous word .Teachers should set out from the regulation of thinking， and at the same time combining with the cognitive context of meaning extension to teach， so as to improve the scientificity and efficiency of teaching.

References：

[1]Kovecses，Z.Metaphor[M].Oxford：Oxford University Press，2002.

[2]Lakeoff，George&Johnson;，Mark.Metaphors We Live By[M].Chicago：The Press of University Chicago，1980.

[3]Ponterotto，D.Metaphors We Can Learn By[J].English Teaching Forum 1994，32（3）：2-7.

[4]Sweetser，E.From Etymology to Pragmatics：Metaphorical and Cultural Aspects of Semantic Structure[M].Cambridge：Cambridge University Press，1990.