A Study Of Metonymy And Its Translation In Shakespeare’s Plays From The Perspective Of Conceptual Metonymy

On the basis of previous studies, this thesis first discusses metonymy from the perspective of both rhetoric and cognitive linguistics. The discussion of the cognitive models behind the metonymic expressions in Shakespeare’s Four Great Tragedies as well as their translations then follows, and finally a summary of the strategies for the translation of metonymy is made.It can be concluded, after an exploration of metonymy and its translation in Shakespeare’s Four Great Tragedies, that the figure of speech of metonymy is the process in which the language user intentionally chooses a specific vehicle to refer to the target in order to achieve certain effects. Cognitively speaking, it is to intentionally choose the conceptual entities within the mental process of one conceptual entity providing mental access to another. Choices of such are under the influence of the social and historical environment the language user is in, while at the same time reflect the user’s intention. The metonymy in Shakespeare’s plays echoes the features of the temporal and social environment he was in, as well as his life experience and perception, and his reflection on his life. The vehicles he chooses for the targets in the plays demonstrate his skilled craftsmanship, bringing about better illustration of the characters, as well as more vivid and colorful language, and stronger linguistic effects. As for metonymy translation, translators should bear in mind the culture of the source and the target language, the life experience and linguistic habits of users of the two languages, characteristics of the text, etc. and choose suitable strategies to translate, in an attempt to recreate the metonymic mental process on the premise of the target text readers being able to understand. After examining the 5 translated versions of Shakespeare’s Four Great Tragedies, the author summarizes 3 strategies for metonymy translation:literal translation, liberal translation, and indirect translation.This thesis analyzes metonymy and its translation in Shakespeare’s Plays in the light of cognitive linguistics, in the hope of providing aid for deeper understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s Plays, as well as useful information for future related studies.