| Space and time are the basic relationship for human cognition of the objectiveworld, tightly interweaving with each other. Locative is the main grammar componentof spatial expressions in Chinese. Human beings tend to take human themselves andtheir body experience as reference in primary spatial expressions, among whichlocative qian and hou are typical of body projector, and they represent horizontalspatial relation mainly with reference to human beings’ walking direction and visualorientation. Based on Levinson’s spatial reference framework theory, Fang Jingmin’slocative reference system and Lakoff’s TIME AS SPACE Metaphor theory, this thesisattempts to take temporal and spatial cognitive studies on qian and hou.Firstly, according to the semantic features and practical usage of qian and hou,intrinsic, relative, and intra-dominion and extra-dominion frames of reference areselected to analyze the spatial qian and hou in detail. Secondly, because qian and houcan represent space and time as well as refer to the past and the future in temporaldomain. Based on the time-moving and ego-moving models in Lakoff’s TIME ASSPACE Metaphor, this thesis emphatically analyzes the bi-perspective of qian and hou.Lastly, now that space can be mapped onto time, can spatial frames of reference beused to explain temporal expressions? Therefore, the thesis tries to illustrate temporalqian and hou with their spatial frames of reference.Findings can be concluded as follows: intrinsic, relative, intra-dominion andextra-dominion frames of reference are capable of effectively cognizing the usage ofqian and hou in spatial domain; front-to-the-past orientation and front-to-the-futureorientation coexist in temporal qian and hou: the former is relatively more than thelatter in time-moving model of qian and hou, whereas the latter is more acceptablethan the former in ego-moving model of qian and hou；intrinsic, intra-dominion andextra-dominion frames of reference spatial frame of reference can explain temporalusage of qian and hou. The temporal and spatial cognitive studies on qian and hou inthis thesis are supportive for researches on Chinese orientation and also can providenew perspective for studying other Chinese locatives. |
