A CRMI-model-based Study On Naming Mechanism Of Chinese And American Warships

Naval warships,as the mobile territory of the country,not only represent maritime armament strength,but also reflect the comprehensive strength.The warship name is of great social significance to the development of the navy.Previous studies have mainly focused on the description of the performance of various warships,but little attention has been paid to the warship names.Based on a cognitive sociolinguistic perspective,this study combines construal theory,cognitive reference point theory,metaphor and metonymy theory and intersubjectivity theory to establish a CRMI model(C represents construal theory,R stands for cognitive reference point theory,M means metaphor and metonymy theory,and I represents intersubjectivity theory)to study the naming mechanism of Chinese and American naval warships.This study selected 1104 naval warship names from official websites and warship books since the establishment of the U.S.and Chinese armies as a corpus.In order to compare the similarities and differences between the Chinese and American warships and to examine the cognitive and social factors which influence warship names,qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to investigate the naming mechanisms of Chinese and American warships.According to the study,It is found that the naming patterns of Chinese and American warships can be divided into 10 categories:(1)figure;(2)battle;(3)legal will;(4)animal;(5)famous warship name;(6)others;(7)keyword;(8)wish;(9)place name;(10)mountain river or lake.After analysis,it is discovered that(1)to(6)are American-only naming patterns.(7)and(8)are Chinese-only naming patterns.(9)and(10)are common naming styles in the United States and China.The above ten naming patterns were analyzed under the CRMI model,and the result found that the mechanism of Chinese and American warship names presented many similarities and differences.The similarity is reflected in two aspects.On the one hand,physical experience and cognition have an impact on warship names.People’s exploration of the world begins with physical experience.The way that humans view and think about things is influenced by cognition.On the other hand,different histories,cultures and values have a certain influence on warship names.The differences are reflected in the following two aspects.The United States has more warships named by figure names,which is tied to the promotion of individual heroes.But China advocates collectivism.There aren’t many warships with figure names.U.S.tends to use battle names for warships,which is associated with the U.S.colonial history.But China advocates peace and desires a better society,so it tends to use words with good wishes for naming warships.Through an in-depth discussion of the naming mechanism of Chinese and American warships,this study hopes to provide a new perspective for cognitive sociolinguistic research,and strengthen people’s rational perception of warship names,and promote people’s attention to military science.