An Idealized Cognitive Models Interpretation Of Shell Features And Functions Of Color Terms

There is no clear boundary to distinguish colors in nature,but when people recognize colors,they divide the continuous spectrum.This classification of color categories forms the system of color terms(CTs)in language.CTs exist in various linguistic phenomena and are widely used in the development and progress of human society,gradually becoming the symbol of human thinking.However,different languages have different ways of expression,and this uniqueness of language has attracted the research and attention of scholars.The idealized cognitive models(ICMs)include five structure principles:propositional model,symbolic model,image schema model,metaphoric model,and metonymic model.As a cluster model,its integration and complexity are easier to understand and more basic than the cognitive model(CMs).Therefore,this study uses ICMs as a tool to analyze linguistic phenomena,constructs an analytical paradigm of ICMs to analyze CTs,and makes a targeted analysis of CTs.In this study,the sentences containing the words “ 黄 ” in The Book of Songs are selected as the research corpus,and the methods of literature review,case analysis,comparative analysis,and comparative analysis are adopted to explore the interpretability of shell features and functions of CTs from the perspectives of ICMs.And two questions are mainly answered:(1)What are the shell features and functions of CTs?(2)How to use the ICMs to interpret shell features and functions of CTs?By analyzing the selected corpus,the following conclusions can be drawn:The CTs has abstractness,fuzziness or vagueness,and semantic vacancy of internal structure.Abstractness is manifested in their ability to abstract and generalize the meaning of things,namely the abstractness of the signified.The fuzziness or vagueness manifests in that color itself is a continuum in nature,which cannot be clearly divided.What’s more,it is reflected in the structure of the use of CTs,and CTs have different meanings in different structures.The semantic vacancy of internal structure means that in the fixed structure,people need to combine the specific context to understand the accurate meaning of CTs.The CTs have the function of characterization in semantics,temporary concept construction in cognition,and linking in pragmatics.First of all,people use CTs to describe objects and give color to things in nature,so CTs have a descriptive function.Temporary concept construction means that the speaker encapsulates complex blocks of information in temporary concepts with clear boundaries,and the connections between linguistic forms and concepts are gradually established through repeated use.The linking function in pragmatics refers to that the actual information details contained in CTs need to be articulated with other texts.This connection is triggered by empirical identity,the CMs created by CTs in the text.(2)Based on the cognitive perspective,the shell features and functions of CTs are categorized.This thesis makes a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the shell features and functions of CTs using the five ICMs structures.The propositional model and the symbolic model are related to the concept and composition of the CTs and they can realize the characterization in semantics.The image schema model provides stable image schema for people and it can play the role of temporary concept construction in the cognitive.The metonymic model and the metaphoric model relate to the way of thinking and form a bridge between language and the objective world.Therefore,they can realize the function of pragmatic linking.Firstly,the classification of the shell features and functions of CTs from a cognitive perspective is categorized,which is helpful to deepen people’s cognitive understanding of CTs and enrich the study of CTs.Secondly,the shell features and functions of CTs are interpreted from the ICMs,revealing the generation characteristics and internal rules of CTs.And the explanatory power of the ICMs is further strengthened in the thinking and analysis of specific linguistic phenomena.Finally,this thesis provides cognitive translation suggestions for the English translation of CTs,and the five principles of ICMs are used to translate CTs into English to integrate the gestalt pattern of CTs.In such a way,it can achieve the comprehensiveness of the English translation of CTs,and then help readers to understand the meaning expressed by CTs in the original text.