The Cognitive Construction Of Verb Metaphors Based On Conceptual Blending Theory

Verb metaphor is such a kind of metaphorical expression that results from the conceptual incongruity caused by the irregular collocation between verb and noun. Only when the conceptual incongruity is removed in the cognitive operation at the backstage can verb metaphor convey the correct metaphorical meaning to fit for the context and be understood by people in the course of communication. The cognitive operation involved in the construction of verb metaphor lies in that the verb concept can be transferred or extended from its original conceptual category to a new conceptual category. And then the verb concept can collocate harmoniously with the noun concept within the new conceptual category. In a word, the construction of verb metaphor reflects a process of eliminating the conceptual conflict between verb and noun through the cognitive operation of conceptual integration and conceptual category extension.At present, the construction of verb metaphor is analyzed basically from the perspective of conceptual metaphor theory (CMT), thus, the construction of verb metaphor is regarded as the resultant of one-way mapping from the source domain to the target domain, based on which the verb concept can be extended from the original conceptual category to the new conceptual category. So, the irregular collocation between verb and noun changes into the regular collocation. However, CMT only applies to explain the construction of the highly entrenched or conventional verb metaphors. CMT fails to offer a convincing explanation to those novel and complicated verb metaphors, since not all the verb metaphors are constructed based on the unidirectional mapping between two domains.Conceptual blending theory (CBT) proposed by Fauconnier and Turner highlights the principle of conceptual integration, which is in accordant with the cognitive operation involved in the construction of verb metaphors. Therefore, it is feasible to adopt CBT to explore the cognitive construction of verb metaphors. In the framework of CBT, the stable double domains are divided into a four-space model which is more refined and flexible. Meanwhile, selective projection and emergent structure can better reflect how the verb concept is transferred or extended from the original conceptual category to the new one and further collocates with the noun concept harmoniously within the new conceptual category. Besides, CBT mainly focuses on the on-line construction of meaning, so it can offer a dynamic perspective to probe into the construction of verb metaphors.Combined with the specific data, the thesis attempts to explore the cognitive construction of verb metaphors based on the four sub-type integration networks of CBT. They are simplex network, mirror network, single-scope network and double-scope network.Through the analysis, we can draw the conclusions as follows:(1)Verb is used to describe and reflect behavior, process and state in our internal as well as external world. The key point of verb metaphor lies in that the verb concept is extended from the original conceptual category to the new one via a metaphorical way. In turn, the verb can express a certain kind of similar behavior, process and state associated closely with the new conceptual category. In the new conceptual category, the transferred verb may develop its metaphorical meaning; or it would remain its literal meaning and just offer a familiar, concrete image to help people understand the abstract, imperceptible behavior, process and state.(2)In the course of constructing verb metaphors, creative similarity is a crucial cognitive operation which enables the verb to extend from its original conceptual category to a new one, especially for the construction of novel verb metaphors. People consciously prefer to know and understand the abstract, imperceptible behavior, process and state in terms of the familiar, concrete behavior, process and state. And the creative similarity is the ground.(3)Simplex network is the simplest and most basic in the framework of CBT, so the construction of verb metaphors based on simplex network requires the simplest cognitive operation; also, the comprehension of such kind of verb metaphors requires the least cognitive force. While, verb metaphors constructed based on double-scope network call for more complicated cognitive operation, in turn, understanding this sort of verb metaphors requires more cognitive force.(4)Whatever type of integration network verb metaphor is constructed based on, the mental foundation of constructing verb metaphors is on the basis of interaction between experiencing organism and the experienced environment.The significances of the thesis are manifested in two aspects.Theoretically, CBT can dynamically explore the construction of verb metaphor against the static analysis based on CMT about this issue; most importantly, the study is to testify that conceptual blending theory, as a basic human cognitive mechanism, is an effectively theoretical tool for exploring the linguistic phenomena such as conceptual integration and conceptual category extension. Besides, this research is supposed to further enhance the analysis on the construction of verb metaphors. And the practical significance mainly lies in that we can have a better understanding of verb metaphors in daily life.