cognitive linguistics lecture 3.doc

Lecture Three Conceptual MetonymiesPre-questions: How do you think of metaphors? Are you convinced of the importance of metaphors as a cognitive tool? Can you live without metaphors? Introduction: Metonymy from a figure of speech to a cognitive instrument and a way of thinking.1 Metonymy as a figure of speechDefinition of metonymy as a figure of speech: The substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the turf for horse racing. (The New Oxford Dictionary of English)Metonym: A word, name, or expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated. For example, Washington is a metonym for the US government. (ibid.)Examples of metonymy: The kettle is boiling.He is reading Shakespeare.English is his mother tongue.He chose the gun instead of the cap and gown.He was too fond of the bottle.I like to play with rosy cheeks.Literary examples: 慨当以慷，忧思难忘。

何以解忧，惟有杜康曹操《短歌行》）秃头站在白背心的略略正对面，弯了腰，去研究背心上的文字鲁迅《示众》）See also ‘Metonymy in Classical Rhetoric’ by Li Yongzhong (2004: 2-3).3.1.2 Metonymy as a cognitive instrument and a way of thinking: conceptual metonymiesWith the naissance of cognitive linguistics in 1980s, metonymy, with synecdoche as one of its subtypes, is regarded by cognitive linguists as a cognitive instrument and a mode of thinking and conceptualizing, which is frequently used by us in our daily life as well in literature. Consider the following examples:Orange sweater [? Sweater made of oranges; = the colour of orange]He’s in dance. [= the dancing profession]China Daily hasn’t arrived at the press conference yet. (= the reporter from China Daily)She is expecting. [= expecting the birth of a baby]吃饭羊肠小道她有了。

[cf. 他有了]3.2 Definition and classification of cognitive metonymy Defining cognitive metonymyDifferent cognitive linguists provided different definitions for the concept of metonymy:1) Metonymy means ‘using one entity to refer to another that is related to it’. Synecdoche is included as a special case of metonymy. ‘[M]etonymy serves some of the same purposes that metaphor does, and in somewhat the same way… Metonymic concepts are part of the ordinary, everyday way we think and act as well as talk.’ ‘Metonymic concepts allow us to conceptualize one thing by means of its relation to something else.’ ‘[L]ike metaphors, metonymic concepts structure not just our language but our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. And, like metaphoric concepts, metonymic concepts are grounded in experience.’ (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980: 35-40) [Compare metonymic concept and metonymic expressions]2) Metonymy is one of the basic characteristics of cognition. It is extremely common for people to take one well-understood or easy-to-perceive aspect of something and use it to stand either for the thing as a whole or for some other aspect or part of it. (Lakoff, 1987: 77) Metonymic principles take the following form: Given an ICM with some background condition (e.g., institutions are located in places), there is a ‘stands for’ relation that may hold between two elements A and B, such that one element of the ICM, B, may stand for another element A. In this case, B = the place and A = the institution. We will refer to such ICMs containing stands-for relations as metonymic models. (ibid.: 78)Going somewhere in a vehicle (as an event) involves a structured scenario (or in Lakoff’s terms, an ICM):(i) Precondition: You have (or have access to) the vehicle.(ii) Embarcation: You get into the vehicle and start it up.(iii) Center: You drive (row, fly, etc.) to your destination.(iv) Finish: You park and get out.(v) End point: You are at your destination.Below are some possible normal answers to a question such as ‘How did you get to the party?’:- I drove. [Center stands for whole ICM.]- I have a car. [Precondition stands for whole ICM.]- I borrowed my brother’s car. [This entails the precondition, which in turn stands for the whole ICM]- I hopped on a bus. [Embarcation stands for whole ICM.]- I just stuck out my thumb. [Embarcation stands for whole ICM.] (ibid.: 78-79)3) Langacker (1993: 9) conceives of metonymy as a reference-point phenomenon in which one conceptual entity, the reference point, affords mental access to another conceptual entity, the desired target. (Radden & Kövecses, 1999: 19)4) The cognitive view of metonymy makes three assumptions: (i) Metonymy is a conceptual phenomenon; (ii) Metonymy is a cognitive process; (iii) Metonymy operates within an idealized cognitive model. (Radden & Kövecses, ibid.: 17)On the basis of the above three cognitive properties of metonymy, metonymy can be defined as follows:‘Metonymy is a cognitive process in which one conceptual entity, the vehicle, provides mental access to another conceptual entity, the target, within the same idealized cognitive model.’ (ibid.: 21) Classification。