A Study On Time Metaphors In Shakespeare’s Sonnets From The Perspective Of Conceptual Metaphor

Language is the main way that human express ideas.Metaphor is a means by which people perceive things,and is regarded as one of the important ways of human cognitive development.This study aims to explore the time metaphors of Shakespeare’s Sonnets from the perspective of conceptual metaphors.By examining the time metaphors and analyzing the connection between language and thinking,in order to arouse the academic community’s attention to time words and vocabulary representing time,then to explore from the possibility of understanding Shakespeare’s Sonnets from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor Theory.Literature survey shows that scholars at home and abroad mostly focus on discussing multiple metaphors at the same time,and put different metaphors together.The study of time metaphor is very rich,however,the special studies of time metaphors in Shakespeare’s Sonnets are listed rarely.This study attempts to interpret the representation of time metaphor in Shakespeare’s Sonnets from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor Theory,and to explore the following questions: What are the types and mapping characteristics of time metaphors in Shakespeare’s Sonnets? What is the cognitive mechanism of time metaphor in Shakespeare’s Sonnets? How does the time metaphor reflect the theme of Shakespeare’s Sonnets? In this study,the expressions of "time" in Shakespeare’s Sonnets are defined,counted and analyzed.In the view of the theory of Conceptual Metaphor,this paper takes sets of time metaphor systems as the center,and discusses them from the aspect of cognitive mechanism.It explores mapping modes and cognitive motivation of time metaphor.It also tries to find novel metaphors and time metaphor systems,and explores the themes in Shakespeare’s Sonnets.Studies have found that metaphorical languages about time in Shakespeare’s Sonnets are plentiful.Among them,there are several conceptual dimensions of time metaphors,four kinds of mapping codes,and the event structure metaphors are intended to highlight the changes and characteristics of time.The time metaphor of Shakespeare’s Sonnets and its systems form Shakespeare’s novel metaphorical style,emphasizing the three characteristics of time,which is the clue for understanding the thematic thoughts of Shakespeare’s Sonnets and expressing the humanistic ideas.