Representation Of Metaphor In English-Chinese Learner's Dictionaries

Metaphor is not only a common linguistic phenomenon but also reflects human cognition.The process of metaphor is also that of human cognition.In the process of English learning as a foreign language,the reflection and appropriate representation of metaphor in English-Chinese Learner's Dictionaries will help English learners as a foreign language master the cognitive rules of English and thus make them produce expressions or phrases according with English culture instead of copying expressions that only they have learned by rote.The thesis makes a critical review on the following aspects:metaphor and cognition,metaphor and vocabulary,as well as metaphor and lexicography.Especially on the aspect of metaphor and vocabulary,the thesis discovers that there are a great number of achievements on the studies of metaphoric concepts and contrastive studies of English and Chinese metaphors.However,few of them have been put into practice in dictionary compilation although lexicographers have made great efforts to find metaphorical concepts hidden in language.Series of Macmillan English Dictionary are the ones that have applied achievements of metaphors whereas there are no English-Chinese dictionaries that use achievements of metaphor studies.The thesis tends to prove it necessary and applicable to represent metaphor in English-Chinese Learner's Dictionaries by the universality,systematicity and cultural difference of metaphor.Based on those theories,the thesis attempts to represent metaphor in the various structures of English-Chinese Learner's Dictionaries including megastructure,microstructure and mediostructure.