| Such a special linguistic phenomenon as metalinguistic negation can be found in many languages. Basically, the previous studies of metalinguistic negation are semantically situated. Researchers only concentrate on the metalinguistic negation forms, failing to take the communicators into account, so they cannot satisfactorily answer questions concerning the nature and inference of metalinguistic negation. Adopting the cognitive linguistic notion of "Idealized Cognitive Model (ICM)" and frame theory, this thesis researches the features, the nature and the decoding process of metalinguistic negation.From cognitive point of view, meaning is in fact the communicators' intention, which only lies in communications. So the study of metalinguistic negation must consider both the speaker and the hearer and the context as well. In nature, metalinguistic negation is the negation of preferential Idealized Cognitive Model. It refers to the ICM intentionally or subconsciously primarily taken by people under a specific situation as their background knowledge for the need of their present communication or comprehension. So metalinguistic negation occurs between two ICMs, while most other negations only occur within an ICM. This can differentiate metalinguistic negation from other kinds of negations.According to cognitive linguistics, linguistic expressions function both as triggers to activate and as anchors to stabilize the cognitive frames on which meaning in language relies heavily for its generation. Therefore, the process of decoding metalinguistic negation is to find the linguistic expressions which help to activate the cognitive frames identical or similar to the speakers' intention. Then the notion of frame is introduced to analyze the cognitive decoding process of metalinguistic negation with the illumination of its definition, types, and features. |
