A Cognitive Study Of Metaphors In Network Language

Metaphor is not only a rhetorical device but also a human cognitive tool tounderstand the world and ways of thinking. With the development of informationtechnology, metaphor is also being widely used in the field of network language.Network language covers not only terms in cyber communication but also computer-related words like hardware and software etc. By analyzing metaphors in networklanguage, we can find complicated and interesting ways of human understandingmechanism which will facilitate our understanding and sharing of computer-relatedlexicon from a cognitive perspective as well as spark the thought of creating newmetaphorical terms.This thesis collects network metaphors from authoritative materials in variousaspects and classifies them from the perspective of cognition and application, pointingout the features of network metaphor. This thesis employs the most influentialcognitive theories Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) and Conceptual BlendingTheory (CBT). CMT is good at illuminating conventional and static metaphorswhereas CBT focuses on emergent and temporary conceptual metaphors. Through thequalitative study of structures and working mechanism of typical network metaphors,it proves metaphors in network language play very important roles in constructing notonly professional conceptual systems but also human common knowledge structure.Human metaphorical cognition of computer is not only embodied in computerterminologies but also in social communication. The study further expands the usageof cognitive theories and awakes people’s interest in the study of network metaphors;simultaneously, it provides a reference for better understanding of network languageand computer science.This thesis also points out the limitations of the study and makes suggestions tothe problems in practical use of network metaphors, which are relatively seldommentioned by previous metaphor researches. We hope further metaphor study can helpus facilitate our understanding of complex and abstract concepts in exploring unknown world and metaphors can make our language colorful but not dull.