认知语言学

4.2Figure,groundandtwometaphors：acognitiveexplanationofsimpleclausepatternsRolearchetypesActionchains,energyflowandthebilliard-ballmetaphor(台球隐喻)Susanresemblesmysister.Susanispeelingabanana.Susanlovesbananas.Thehammerbreakstheglass.Susanhasalargelibrary.Susanreceivedthepresent.SusanswamtheChannel.Thegardenisswarmingwithbees.Therewasaloudbang.AsubjectAverbelement(orpredicate)Acomplement(e.g.anobjectoranadverbial)LangackerdevelopedaCognitiveGrammarThesubject-verb-complementpatternisregardedasageneralcognitiveprincipleoffigure/groundsegregation.Thesubjectinasimpletransitiveclause—thefigure,theobject—theground,theverbexpressestherelationshipbetweenfigureandground.Theinfluenceofthefigureandgroundprincipleismostplausibleinsymmetricalconsyructions.(a)Susanresemblesmysister.(b)MysisterresemblesSusanWecanclearlyseethatineithervariantthechosensubjectisthefigureandismoreprominentthantheotherelement(theground)Itmeansthatin(a)itisSusanthatisassessedwithreferencetosomeoneelse,whilein(b)thesituationisreversed.Thesecondelementisalsoimportantasapointofreference,eventhoughislessprominentthanthefigure.SyntacticfigureSyntacticgroundPurpose:toknowthedegreeofprominencethatexistsinbothsubjectandcomplement.1)symmetricalclausestructuresareexceptional2)thechoiceofsyntacticfigureisguidedandrestrictedbyanumberofothercognitiveprinciples.So,theseadditionalprinciplesandtheirinteractionwithfigure/groundsegregationwillbepresentedinthefollowingsections.Rolearchetypesemergefromourexperienceofinteractingwiththeworld.Agent(施事)refersthathumanbeingsarecapableofinitiatingmotionorphysicalactivityinobjectsorotherpersons.Patient(受事)refersthatobjectsororganismsareaffectedbyphysicalimpactfromoutsideandundergoachangeofstateoraremovedtoanotherlocation.Instrument(工具)isdefinedastheintermediarybetweenagentandpatient.Experiencer(感事)referstosomeoneengagedinmentalactivitiesincludingemotions.However,tracingbackclauseconstituentstocognitivearchetypescausesafurtherproblem:Howdoweknowwhichroleistobeputinthesubjectslotandwhichinthecomplementslot?Susanispeelingabanana.subject=agentSusanlovesbananas.subject=experiencerThehammerbreakstheglass.subject=instrumentTheglassbroke.subject=patientWecanclearlyseethatallrolearchetypescanoccurinsubjectposition.Itisclearthatallfourpatternsareacceptable,butitturnsoutthatagentsareusedfarmoreoftenassyntacticfiguresthanotherrolearchetypesare.Therefore,Langackeroffersanexplanationwhichisbasedonourexperienceoftheinteractionbetweenpersonsandthings.Themostelementarykindsofinteractionsbetweentheobjectsandorganismsoftheworldisphysicalcontact.Talmy’snotionofforcedynamics(动力驱动概念)Langacker’sconceptionofenergytransmission(能量传递概念)whichispartofhisexplanationofsentencestructure.1)Oneentityischargedwithenergy；2)itisthesourceoftheenergy；3)thefirstentitycontactsasecondone；4)energyistransmittedtoandconsumedbythissecondentity.ThesimpleinteractionisillustratedinFigure4.12(a）Circlesrepresentobjects/organismsDoublearrowssymbolizetheinteractionbetweenthemThesquigglylineindicateswheretheenergyisabsorbedInfigure4.12(b),wecanclearlyseethatlongerinteractionsinvolvingseveralinstanceofphysicalcontactarepossible.Infact,evenatwo-elementstructurelike(Susanispeelingabanana.)canbesaidtoimplyathirdunexpressedelement,thatiswithherhand.ItisproposedbyLangacker.Itischaracterizedasanenergetichead,anobject/organismwhichisthesourceoftheenergy;fromthisheadtheenergyistransmittedtothesecondentityandsoonuntilanentityisreachedwhichnolongeremitsbutconsumestheremainingenergy;thiselementiscalledthetailoftheactionchain.Justasthemetaphorofariver(usingthetermsupstreamanddownstream)THE+BILLIARDBALL+METAPHOR(1)afterbeingactivatedbythetouchofthecue(球杆)(2)thewhiteballispushedagainstanotherball,andthenpartoftheoriginalenergyistransmittedtothesecondball,whichhitsathirdballagainandtransmitsenergytoitandsoon.(3)theremainingenergyisabsorbedbythecushionededgesorbythepocketsofthebilliardtable.1)Inwhatwaydothe+ENERGYFLOW+andthe+BILLIARDBALL+metaphorcontributetoourunderstandingofsyntacticpatterns?2)Howcantheyexplaintheallocationofrolearchetypestoslotsintheclausestructure?Inacaselikethatonlyanagentandapatientareexpressed:Susanispeelingabanana.Circlesrepresentobjects/organismsDoublearrowssymbolizetheinteractionbetweenthemThesquigglylineindicateswheretheenergyisabsorbed1)theagentisrelatedtotheenergetichead;theinitiatoroftheenergyflow;themostprominentelement;isthestatusofsyntacticfigure—subject.2)thepatientisrelatedtothetail,isthestatusofsyntacticground—object.So,inatwo-elementstructurelikeSusanispeelingabanana.Infigure4.12(a)：theagent,theheadofactionchain,thesyntacticfigurecoincide,asdopatient,tailoftheactionchainandsyntacticground.Thisexplainswhyagentsareusedassubjectsandpatientsasobjectsincognitiveterms.ThefirstelementisregardedasagentThelastelementisregardedaspatientTheelementinbetweenmeanstheinstrumentrole,whichservesastheintermediatestageinthetransmissionofenergySubjectisindicatedbyextra-boldcircleIn(a)itgivesustheoverallviewoftheactionc