（英语语言文学专业论文）夸张及其解读.pdf

descriptive chinese abstract i 摘 要 摘 要 夸张是一种独特而又普遍的语言现象， 其字面含义与说话者的真实含义存在很大区 别，真实含义的理解依赖于字面含义，但是夸大或缩小了字面含义。所以夸张的生成和 理解更为复杂，不同于普通的话语交际。本文在界定夸张定义及其分类的基础上，分析 了夸张的特点，探讨了夸张所产生的语用效果，并从认知的角度解释了夸张的生成和理 解。 本文包括五大部分。引言部分引出夸张话题，介绍了本文的主要观点、研究方法、 资料来源和结构安排。 第一章，主要对夸张的定义，分类，特征，以及夸张的语用功能进行了研究。我们 把夸张分为直接夸张和隐喻性夸张两大类， 直接夸张就是直截了当地把事物的情状有意 识地突出、扩大，而不通过其他修辞方式。这种夸张所用的词语本身就带有夸张色彩， 所以能将原事物说得比实际更高、 更集中、 更强烈。 隐喻性夸张是一种特殊的夸张形式， 它借助隐喻来进行夸张，这种夸张的效果多样化，比直接夸张显得更生动、更形象。隐 喻性夸张具有如下特点：夸张本体和喻体的相似与差别是夸张的基础，想象和合理性是 隐喻性夸张成立的主要因素。 第二章，回顾并评述了国内外学者对夸张的研究，我们主要从国内外学者们对夸张 的修辞研究，语义分析，语用分析和心理分析四个方面对其进行了较为全面的回顾。通 过考察夸张在话语中的出现频率和重要性，以及学者们对其研究的成就和缺憾，我们认 为有必要对夸张的生成和理解进行全面的研究。 第三章，是本文的重点章节。主要探讨夸张的生成和理解。本文作者认为，夸张是 在恰当的场景下， 具备生成夸张能力的说写者为了表达其内心的感受而采用的一种夸大 或缩小了语言事实的言语表达方式。 夸张的生成和理解离不开语境因素。 基于以上研究， 这一章中我们利用心理空间理论对夸张进行了认知解读， 并且探讨了隐喻映射在隐喻性 夸张中的运作。最后，我们对全文做出了概要总结。 本文的核心观点是夸张的生成和理解有其现实基础， 是建立在一定的现实基础上的 一种非字面含义话语表达。联想能力在其生成和理解中起着至关重要的作用，而夸张又 不能脱离现实，不能是无限制的夸大或缩小，因此夸张的度受理性制约。心理空间和隐 喻映射理论为夸张解读提供了很好的理论依据。 关键词关键词：夸张；生成；理解；心理空间理论；隐喻映射 english abstract ii abstract hyperbole is a special and ubiquitous language phenomenon, its literal meaning is much different from the intended meaning of the utterer. the intended meaning of hyperbole is dependent on the literal meaning, which is usually regarded as a form of extremity, an exaggeration that either magnifies or minimizes some real state of affairs. therefore, the production and comprehension of hyperbole is much more complex than that of common discourse. based on previous achievements, this thesis introduces the definition and classification of hyperbole, analyses its features and we also explore the pragmatic functions of hyperbole. the last part of the dissertation attempts to interpret hyperbole from cognitive approaches. . this thesis is composed of five parts. in the introduction part, the author discusses the ubiquity of hyperbole; clarifies the argument, data collection and organization of this dissertation. chapter one puts forth the exploration of hyperbole, which includes the definition， classification and features of it. hyperbole is classified into two types: direct hyperbole and metaphorical hyperbole. the former is the hyperbole which exaggerates something for emphasis. it makes an object more prominent directly with the lexico-grammatical forms. there is no overlapping with other tropes in direct hyperbole. the latter is a special form of hyperbole which exaggerates things by virtue of metaphor. its more vivid and visual than direct hyperbole and possesses the following features: co-existence of similarity and difference is the ground for metaphorical hyperbole; while imagination and rationality play central roles in metaphorical hyperbole. besides, the pragmatic functions of hyperbole are discussed. the second chapter is a literature review. past studies at home and abroad are surveyed in this chapter, which mainly consists of the rhetorical approach to hyperbole, the semantic study of hyperbole, the pragmatic study of hyperbole and the psychological study of hyperbole. the third chapter is one of the central parts, which is concerned with a cognitive approach on the production and comprehension of hyperbole. starting from the psychological and cognitive principles, we think hyperbole is generated and governed by two factors, namely, competence and appropriateness; contextual factors involved in hyperbole english abstract iii comprehension are also discussed in this chapter. in the section of cognitive approaches to hyperbole, we make an intensive interpretation of hyperbole within the theoretical frameworks of mental space theory and metaphorical mapping theory. the last part is the conclusion which sums up this dissertation, provides some suggestions and points out the limitations of this study. the key viewpoint of this dissertation is that hyperbole needs ultimately to be contingent upon the real if the hyperbolist wishes to avoid a ridiculous speech. associative ability plays an essential role in the production and comprehension of hyperbole, and rationality may be regarded as a check to unrestrained imagination. mental space theory and metaphorical mapping provide appropriate approaches for hyperbole interpretation. key words: hyperbole; production; comprehension; mental space theory; metaphorical mapping 湘潭大学湘潭大学 学位论文原创性声明学位论文原创性声明 本人郑重声明：所呈交的论文是本人在导师的指导下独立进行研究所取得的 研究成果。除了文中特别加以标注引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何其他个人或 集体已经发表或撰写的成果作品。对本文的研究做出重要贡献的个人和集体，均 已在文中以明确方式标明。本人完全意识到本声明的法律后果由本人承担。 作者签名： 日期： 年 月 日 学位论文版权使用授权书学位论文版权使用授权书 本学位论文作者完全了解学校有关保留、使用学位论文的规定，同意学校保 留并向国家有关部门或机构送交论文的复印件和电子版，允许论文被查阅和借 阅。本人授权湘潭大学可以将本学位论文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据库进行 检索，可以采用影印、缩印或扫描等复制手段保存和汇编本学位论文。 涉密论文按学校规定处理。 作者签名： 日期： 年 月 日 导师签名： 日期： 年 月 日 introduction 1 introduction 0.1 ubiquity of hyperbole it is a regular feature of informal talk that speakers exaggerate narrative, descriptive and argumentative features and make assertions that are overstated, literally impossible, inconceivable or counterfactual and imaginary in many different types of discourse context (mccarthy, carter, 2004). according to christopher johnson (2001:1), the provenance of hyperbole is ancient, the history of hyperbole is complicated with riches, and its immanence is undeniable. from the hyperboles trumpeting first and last things in the bible, to those marking the passions in classical epic and tragedy, to those fueling medieval panegyrics to saints and kings, to those signaling new worlds and new ideas in the renaissance, and even to those hypes hawking product in todays global marketplace, the western imagination has long felt the gargantuan pull of hyperbole. kreuz et al. (1996:91), after studying eight main forms of non-literal language in a corpus of contemporary american short stories, adduce empirical evidence of the pervasiveness by showing that after metaphor, hyperbole is the commonest trope. and so they claim that “in terms of sheer occurrence, hyperbole seems to deserve more notice than it has received to date”. the importance of hyperbole becomes even clearer after an inspection of the co-occurrence matrix in the aforementioned study. they also demonstrated that exaggeration is by far the trope that most often co-occurs with other figures. it was involved in almost 80% of the cases of co-occurrence, and it interacted with every other type of non-literal language with the exception of its logical opposite, understatement. in modern society, people use hyperbole more out of intensification and communicative appropriateness than out of pure written form. hyperbole is prevalent in both english and chinese. 0.2 arguments of this dissertation as a common language phenomenon in human communication, hyperbole is a reflection of the mode of cognition and closely connected with the psychological mechanisms of human beings. although there are various ways concerning the formation of hyperbole, the internal mechanisms regulating the generation of hyperbolic effects can be well illustrated by the introduction 2 principles and theories of cognitive linguistics which made its debut on the western linguistic stage in 1980s. rather than being only attributed to the linguistic symbols themselves, the production and comprehension of hyperbole cannot be separated from the cognitive process of human beings. under such circumstances, it is necessary to explore the human cognitive process when hyperboles are used by investigating the inner mechanisms governing the generating and understanding of them in the process of literary works and daily communication. 0.3 method and data collection of my study conventional study of hyperbole tends to interpret it in a static way, while language now is considered to be the human cognitive capacity, and actually people construct meaning dynamically. so this dissertation chooses hyperbole as data to give a new interpretation in dynamic method. the main corpus of this study consists of many actual instances which are cited chiefly from literary works such as novels, poems and our daily language, on which the overall analysis is based. besides, there are also some created materials in this thesis in order to support my argument. 0.4 organization of this dissertation this thesis is composed of five parts. the first part is an introduction of this overall dissertation. arguments, method, data collection and organization of this dissertation are clarified. chapter one is the exploration of hyperbole, which includes the definition and features of hyperbole. besides, the pragmatic functions of hyperbole are discussed. chapter two is literature review. past studies at home and abroad are surveyed in this chapter. the third chapter is one of the central parts, which is concerned with cognitive approaches on the production and comprehension of hyperbole. based on the cognitive principles, we think hyperbole is generated and governed by two factors: competence and appropriateness, and the contextual factors involved in hyperbole comprehension are also discussed in this chapter. in the section of cognitive approaches to hyperbole, we make an intensive interpretation of hyperbole within the theoretical frames of mental space theory and metaphorical mapping. the last part is the conclusion which sums up this dissertation, provides some suggestions and puts forward some limitations of this study. chapter 1 hyperbole: definition, classification, features and functions 3 chapter 1 hyperbole: definition, classification, features and functions 1.1 definition of hyperbole hyperbole is usually defined as a form of extremity, an exaggeration that either magnifies or minimizes some real state of affairs. exaggerated expressions have traditionally been thought of as overstated simulacrums of reality. it is a regular feature of informal talk that speakers exaggerate narrative, descriptive and argumentative features and make assertions that are overstated, literally impossible, inconceivable or counterfactual and imaginary in many different types of discourse context. (mccarthy, carter, 2004). in mysterie of rhetorique unvaild, for example, hyperbole is defined as: when the trope is exceedingly enlarged, or when the change of signification is very high and lofty, or when in advancing or repressing one speaks much more than is precisely true, yea above all belief (smith, 1657:54-55). these essential elements of the definition remain with us today. according to michael mccarthy, ronald carter (2004), the criteria for labelling hyperbole are the following. hyperbolic episodes in the talk must display at least three of the following characteristics: disjunction with context (norrick, 1982): the speakers utterance seems at odds with the general context. shifts in footing: there is evidence (e.g. discourse marking) that a shift in footing is occurring to a conversational frame where impossible worlds or plainly counterfactual claims may appropriately occur. counterfactuality not perceived as a lie: the listener accepts without challenge a statement which is obviously counterfactual. impossible worlds: speaker and listener between them engage in the construction of fictitious worlds where impossible, exaggerated events take place. listener take-up: the listener reacts with supportive behavior such as laughter or assenting back-channel markers and/or contributes further to the counterfactuality, impossibility, contextual disjunction, etc. extreme case formulations and intensification: the assertion is expressed in the most chapter 1 hyperbole: definition, classification, features and functions 4 extreme way and/or extreme intensifiers such as literally, nearly, totally are used. these are not necessarily counterfactuals or absurd worlds, as many may be heard as (semi-) conventional metaphors. syntactic support: syntactic devices are used to underline the amplification of the expression. relevant interpretability: the trope is interpretable as relevant to the speech act being performed, and is interpreted as figurative within its context, though there may also be evidence of literal interpretations being exploited for interactive/affective purposes. with these criteria, non-hyperbolic uses of keywords may be excluded. for example, when a speaker says during a discussion on health and social security issues that social security fraud amounts to millions of pounds, there is no disjunction with context, no sense of impossibility or counterfactuality and no particular shift in footing or syntactic signalling. however, in the following sentences: (1) 燕山雪花大如席，片片吹落轩辕台。 (李白 北风行) snowflakes at mount yanshan are as big as mats, they are blown down to the xuan yuan platform. (li bai, walking in the north wind) (2) 老刘，老刘，食量大似牛，吃个老母猪，不抬头。 (红楼梦第四十回) old woman liu, i vow, eats more than any cow, and down she settles now to gobble an enormous sow. (volume ii, p: 1121) in example (1), there is a disjunction with the normal snow context, the case is stated in extreme terms and an impossible world is suggested, and when the assertion is unchallenged and not received literally by the listener (who in fact simply responds by saying winter at mount yanshan is very cold), we clearly have a case of hyperbole. similarly, in example (2), the appetite of granny liu is far from factual, the listener acceptance and the extreme case formulation all suggest a hyperbolic intent. sometimes we found that hyperbole cases are not easily identifiable, and borderline cases occur which have to be excluded. however, the chapter 1 hyperbole: definition, classification, features and functions 5 criteria taken together provide a reliable instrument by which most clear cases of hyperbole may be captured. in this thesis, we mainly deal with the hyperbole which intensify, expand or enlarge an entity and there is not much emphasis on the exaggerated reduction or attenuation of hyperbole. 1.2 classification of hyperbole outside china, two kinds of hyperbole are identified by smith: auxesis and meiosis (1657: 55), the exaggerated intensification, expanding or enlarging of an entity and the exaggerated reduction or attenuation of it, respectively. these essential elements of the definition remain with us today. ravazzoli (1978), drawing on examples from written sources, proposes a number of linguistic types of hyperbolic expressions, including metaphors which expand/magnify as well as those which attenuate (meta- forica amplificante and metaforica attenuativa), in utterances such as referring to someone as a colossus and referring to someone as an insignificant little pipsqueak, respectively, as well as types of simile and metonymy (x is like a thunderbolt and y is all arms and legs). the categorizations are intuitively appealing, but the overlap with metaphor, simile and metonymy is problematic. in china, because of its long and complex history, hyperbole based on different dimensions of taxonomy has a lot of types such as direct hyperbole and indirect hyperbole (wang xijie，1983；tan yongxiang，1992). jiang tian (1985) distinguish between two types of hyperbole: enlarged hyperbole and narrowed hyperbole, and according to hu hualin(2005) , “夸”(kua) in dragon-carving and the literary mind is similar to the active hyperbole and “蚀”(shi) is similar to the negative hyperbole today. according to the structure (relation with other tropes), two categories of hyperbole can be generated: direct hyperbole and metaphorical hyperbole (xie zhaolong，1979；huang hansheng, 1981；jiang yong, 2004). any claim to mutual exclusivity or comprehensiveness for these categories would be ironically naive. and in this dissertation, well follow the method to classify hyperbole into two types: direct hyperbole and metaphorical hyperbole, and metaphorical hyperbole is the focus of my study. 1.3 features of hyperbole 1.3.1 lexical features of direct hyperbole based on a large amount of quantitative corpus, m. mccarthy, r.carter (2004) made a semantic analysis of hyperbole, which can be summed up as follows and we call such kind of chapter 1 hyperbole: definition, classification, features and functions 6 hyperbole direct hyperbole. lexical sets from selected semantic fields denoting number, spatial extent, time and intensity display hyperbolic uses, albeit with differential distribution of items within the sets: for example, within the numerical quantifiers, dozens of, millions of and hundreds of seem particularly hyperbole-prone. the numeral quantifiers are more hyperbole-prone in their plural forms than in their singulars: hundreds of generates more hyperboles than a hundred, and so on. mass quantifiers such as masses, stacks, heaps, loads and tons are very hyperbole-prone, with the overwhelming majority of their occurrences appearing in hyperbolic contexts. time expressions such as minutes, hours, days, years do generate hyperboles, but these represent a smaller proportion of their total occurrences than that of the numerical quantifiers. light years seems particularly hyperbole-prone. extreme adjectives and adverbs referring to spatial extent and intensity are regularly found in hyperbolic contexts. these include endless, gigantic, massive, enormous, huge, vast, infinitely, everywhere. literally is an interesting case, with almost all of its occurrences framing utterances not intended to be taken as literal. apart from these, there is some quantifiable evidence of metalinguistic awareness of hyperbole on the part of speakers, for example, around half of the occurrences of the lemma exaggerate refer to the immediate situation, and some potentially hyperbolic ite