Cognitive and Cultural Analysis of English Animal Metaphor.doc

1、Cognitive and Cultural Analysis of English Animal Metaphor【Abstract】Metaphor is not only a language phenomenon but also a cognitive and cultural phenomenon，among which animal metaphor is an important category. The mechanism of animal metaphor is based on the Great Chain Metaphor proposed by Lakoff a

2、nd Tuner（1989）. 【Key words】animal metaphor； cognitive commonality； conceptual metaphor . Introduction From cognitive perspectives， our understanding of the world is experiential and metaphorical. It can be mapped from one conceptual domain to another， and also， the human thought is based on metaphor

3、. This paper chooses animal metaphor mainly because human beings have a close relationship with animal and there is a rich storeof animal metaphors in English. Besides， the focus of animal metaphor but not all types of conceptual metaphorwill make the study more deep and intensive. . Cognitive Analy

4、sis of English Animal Metaphor 2.1 Semantic Duality in Animal Metaphors When animal images are used to describe human beings， semantic duality occurs. In another word， one single animal image can be used in one context as a complementary meaning， while its derogatory meaning is used in the other con

5、texts. Afamiliar example is dog. Westerners regard dogs as their best friends， and there are many favorable expressions associated with dogs in English such as “lucky dog“， “every dog has its day“. The positive images of dogs are mapped onto human to express a favorable meaning in these expressions.

6、 However， there are some dog-related expressions with an obvious derogatory meaning， like “you dirty dog“and “a dog doesnt eat a dog“. The derogatory usage of “dog“shows that a dog is still a kind of animal inferior to human beings. 2.2 Semantic Unitary in Animal Metaphors For most animalterms， they

7、 tend to have one single meaning. For example， “Chicken“can be used to refer a coward and its adjective form means lacking courage. The phrase “chicken out of something“means decide not to do something because one is afraid. “Wolf“can be linked with a mans instinct such as cruelty， selfishness and r

8、avenousness. These idioms often give people a feeling that they are not talking about any particular animals and known facts. There is somethingbehind the surface， and the real meaning is marked after these idioms. . Cultural Effects onAnimal Metaphor 3.1 Cultural Concept of Value on Animal Metaphor

9、 Individualism may be most commonly observed in America. Individualism often leads to peoples self-reliance and independence. Many English animal metaphors show that westerners have so often been advocating individualism， such as “every dog has its day“， “man is a wolf to man“， etc. Besides， materia

10、lism is an essential part of life. Westerners often judge people by their material possession. In a word， everyday conceptions of a culture have great influence on metaphorical conceptualization， especially at lower， more specific levels of thought. Thus animal images that are used to conceptualize

11、a notion can be affected by its culture. 3.2 Social Environment on Animal Metaphor English speaking countries have different geographical environment， which breeds different species of animals. Therefore， the impact of social context on metaphorical thought is clear in the case of power relations an

12、d social pressure in a given society. For example， the bald eagle symbolizes America and the lion represent the crown of Britain. The different distribution of power in societies results in differential use of animal metaphor by the participants of those power relations. . Conclusion Animal metaphor

13、s can be systemically mapped onto human itself and other social domains as well. When the practical utilities of animal words are takeninto account， they are usually endowed with positive meanings. When they are inferior to human beings in the great chain of being， negative meanings will be given. F

14、urthermore， because of the different cultural concept of value andnatural environment， the different source domain can be chosen according to the degreeof their familiarity with animals and their value judgments on them. Bibliography： 1Lakoff， G & Johnson， M. Metaphors We Live ByM. Chicago： University of Chicago Press， 1980. 2胡壮麟.认知隐喻学M.北京：北京大学出版社，2004. 3蓝纯.认知语言学与隐喻研究M.北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2005. 4李莹.“英汉动物词汇的隐喻认知意义”J.河北理工大学学报，2008， （3）. 5王德春.汉英谚语与文化M.上海：上海外语教育出版社，2003.