A Comparative Study Of Temporal Metaphors In English And Chinese

This thesis launches a comparative study of temporal metaphors in English and Chinese based on the Conceptual Metaphor Theory by Lakoff, and explores the similarities and differences between English and Chinese as well as the causes of the similarities and differences between the two languages.The Conceptual Metaphor Theory is well strengthened by the studies of temporal metaphors in English while the studies in Chinese are not as sufficient as in English. This thesis, setting out from the perspective of comparative study of temporal metaphors in English and Chinese, is valuable and necessary. This thesis is designed to make a comparative study of temporal metaphors in order to interpret how time is metaphorically conceptualized in both English and Chinese. The two primary objectives of this thesis is to widely enrich the Conceptual Metaphor Theory from cross-linguistic and cross-cultural perspectives, and to offer useful guides for the foreign language teaching, Chinese teaching as a foreign language, and consequently to promote cross-cultural communication. Aiming at the two primary objectives, this thesis puts forwards two research questions:what are the similarities and differences of temporal metaphors between English and Chinese? What are the causes of the similarities and differences between the two languages? In terms of the primary objectives and research questions, this thesis employs scientific approaches to launch a qualitative analysis of the considerable amount of linguistic data of temporal metaphors, exploring the similarities and differences between English and Chinese. These similarities and differences are all related to our experience with the world. In short, English and Chinese share the similarities due to the common bodily experience in the process of understanding and transforming the world, which determines the ways of our thought and cognition. Nonetheless, the different bodily experience, natural environment, social and cultural values and tradition account for the different understanding and conceptualization of time in the two languages.Trough the comparison and contrast of the temporal metaphors between the two languages, the author gives a relatively systematical presentation of temporal metaphors in the level of linguistics, cognition, culture and tradition and so on. This thesis, to some extent, can enhance our knowledge of time representation and meanwhile help us comprehensively understand the essential ways of human cognition and conceptualization. What is more, the author tries her best to enrich the cognitive studies of metaphors especially temporal metaphors, offering useful guides for foreign language teaching, Chinese teaching as a foreign language, and as a consequence, to promote cross-cultural communication.