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网络流行新词“X姐”和“X哥”语义演变的隐喻认知研究

摘要:近几年来,“X姐”、“X哥”作为新兴的网络新词得到广泛推广。“姐”、“哥”的语义也发生了变化:由最初表示一种亲属关系的身份,到如今人们对社会当中的某些比较特殊的或是比较突出的个人冠以的一种或调侃或戏谑的称呼。隐喻作为语言使用过程中的一种重要的认知模式,与语义演变密切相关。本文从隐喻认知的角度,就“姐”、“哥”在“X姐”、“X哥”中产生的新义,加以阐释。
关键词:网络新词,语义演变,隐喻认知

Abstract: In recent years, “X Jie” and “X Ge”, as new forms of internet expressions, have been widely used. “Jie” and “Ge” have developed from the original meanings, elder sister and elder brother into many new meanings, such as a person of special personality in a given filed. Metaphor, as an important cognitive model, has a close relationship with the language evolution. From the view of cognitive metaphor, the new meanings of “Jie” and “Ge” can be scientifically explained.
Key Words:New Forms of Internet Expressions,Language Evolution,Cognitive Metaphor

一、引言 随着信息时代的高速发展,网络时代的到来促使了新的交流方式的产生,即以网络为媒介而实现的人际交流的方式。在这个交流的过程中出现了一种新的语言——网络语言。网络语言基于网络的开放性和自由性形成了其独具特色的新语体,许多新词扑面而来,并经过网络传播而得以推广流行。网络流行词“X姐”、“X哥”在近几年频频出现,并以强大的构词能力迅速风靡网络、电视、报刊等新闻媒体。例如新词“凤姐”、“犀利哥”已经成为人们热议的话题。“X姐”、“X哥”作为网络新词,具有其能产性、定位性、和类化性的特点。“姐”、“哥”由最初表示一种亲属关系的身份,到如今人们对社会当中的某些比较特殊的或是比较突出的个人冠以的一种或调侃或戏谑的称呼。在这种词义的变化中,隐喻思维的影响不容置疑。据统计,语言中70%的词义是隐喻或源于隐喻。随着社会的发展,人们不断认知和创造这新事物,事物范畴也不断扩大。当人的思维发展到一定阶段,最初的概念范畴已不能满足对具体事物的认识和表达。这时,人们并不是无止境的创造新词语,而是将新认识的抽象概念与已知的事物相联系,找到它们的相似性,从而用对已知的事物的认识来处理,即隐喻认知过程。可见,隐喻对认知和词语意义的发展有重要意义。本文从认知语言学的视角出发,对“姐”、“哥”的语义转化进行隐喻认知方面的考察,以揭示“姐”、“哥”语义转化的隐喻认知过程,为新词语流行推广的原因提供借鉴。

二、隐喻 对隐喻的研究可追溯到两千年前,亚里士多德的传统隐喻论把隐喻看作是一种修辞格,是一种语言常规的违反和偏离。在新近的二十几年崛起的认知语言学研究中,隐喻不再被看作是语言的一种修辞手段或美化手段,也不在被看作是一种简单的语言产物,而是被看作人类的一种认知现象,是人类基本的一种思维方式和行为方式。Lakoff和Johnson合著的《我们赖以生存的隐喻》中这样描述隐喻的认知作用,“隐喻在日常生活中无处不再,不仅在语言中,而在我们的思维和行动中都是这样的”(朱红雷,2008)。Lakoff认为隐喻不是语言的表面现象,他是深层的认知机制,组织我们的思想,形成我们的判断,是语言结构化,从而有巨大的语言生成力。例如,“爱情是旅行”这一概念隐喻,爱情和旅程是两个完全不同的概念域,人们在认识二者的过程中发现一次爱情经历就像走完一段旅行一样。因此,通过提供经验的框架,隐喻有助于我们思维,处理新获得的抽象概念。 Lakoff认为隐喻是一种基于抽象意象的映射,以人们相对熟悉的,比较具体的易懂的源域向另一比较陌生的,抽象的难以理解的目标域映射,通过源域(source domain)与目标域(target domain)之间的这种映射关系达到认识未知事物的目的。 束定芳指出,隐喻有两个基本类别,意识以源域与目标与两者之间原有(包括固有的和想象中的)相似性作为构成隐喻的基础(similarity-based metaphor),二是以说话者或作者新发现的或可以想象出来的相似性为基础(similarity-creating metaphor)。可见相似性的联想是隐喻认知方式赖以生存的前提和基本要素。 辩证唯物主义认为事物之间的联系具有普遍性,因此万事万物总是存在这样或那样的相似性,隐喻的过程就是通过发现源域和目标之间的某种相似性,从而架起认知的桥梁。

三、“姐”、“哥”的基本语义特征演变分析 对“姐”、“哥”这一称谓语,在口语和书面中的使用频率都很高。最初“姐”并非是对同辈年长女子的称呼,“哥”也并非一来就指“兄长”。“姐”、“哥”的演变有一个过程,现将“姐”、“哥”从古至今的语义梳理如下: 姐: 1. 母亲。《说文解字•女部》:“蜀谓母曰姐,淮南谓之社。从女且声。” 2. 妓女。《警世通言》:“姐爱俏,鸨爱钞。” 3. 有血缘关系的亲戚中同辈年长者女子。如,大姐,姐妹。 4. 没有血缘关系,对同辈年长或同龄女子的尊称。如,杨三姐。 5. 对有影响力和榜样作用女子的称呼。如,大姐大。 从对“姐”的语义梳理,“姐”的基本语义特征为[+女子]、[+年长]、[+同辈]、[±血缘]。 哥: 1. 唐朝时称父为哥。《旧唐书·王琚传》:“玄宗泣曰:‘四哥仁孝,同气唯有太平’”四哥这里指唐玄宗的父亲唐睿宗李旦。——《古汉语常用字字典》。 2. 有血缘关系的兄长。“再拜跪尊大哥于座前。”白居易《祭浮梁大兄长》。 3. 对丈夫的昵称,尤其是小两口之间。如,送哥参军。 4. 对没有血缘关系的年长者或同龄者的尊称。例如,“落地为兄弟,何必骨肉亲”。 5. 对有影响力和榜样作用男子的称呼。如,大哥大。 从对“哥”的语义梳理,“哥”的基本语义特征为[+男子]、[+年长]、[+同辈]、[±血缘]。 如今在网络上刮起了一阵阵“姐”、“哥”的旋风。如;“犀利哥”(网络红人,一位着装具有明星风格的乞丐)、“失控姐”(网络红人,长相可爱,易受外界惊吓而失控的小女孩)、“瞌睡哥”(指在挺奥巴马演讲时,一位一直打瞌睡的美国男中学生),等等。从网络搜索引擎百度的统计数据来看,截至2011年11月20日,包含“姐”“哥”的新闻有9,120,000篇,其中与“X姐”、“X哥”族词语有关的新闻至少有十万条,可见“X姐”、“X哥”具有强大的能产性。“X姐”、“X哥”族词语同时还具有定位性和类化性的特点。以“姐”、“哥”为定位语素可生成一系列新词。如:犀利哥、妖娆哥、失控姐等等。“姐”、“哥”前的“X”的构成具有多样性。可以是动词,如:咆哮哥、扔鞋哥等等;可以是名词,如:草帽哥、蜗居哥等等;同样可以是形容词,如;沧桑哥、犀利哥等等。从语义角度考察,“姐”、“哥”在“X姐”、“X哥”结构中已经发生了语义变化。已从年长、同辈、或有或没血缘关系的女子或男子,转化为人们对社会当中的某些比较特殊的或是比较突出,个性鲜明的个人冠以的一种或调侃或戏谑的称呼。

姐的语义变化如下:姐[+女子]、[+年长]、[+同辈]、[±血缘] →[+女子] [+同辈] [-血缘] [+个性],如:凤姐,失控姐,hold住姐。哥的语义变化如下:哥[+男子]、[+年长]、[+同辈]、[±血缘]、[+单数]→春哥[-男子]、 [+中性装扮(个性化)]、 [+同辈] 、[-血缘]、 [+单数]→犀利哥[+男子] [+同辈] [-血缘] [+个性] [+单数]→低碳哥[+男子] [+同辈] [-血缘] [+个性] [+群体]。从这个变化过程中我们可以清晰地看到“姐”、“哥”的词义在演变过程中是辐射式的引申。所谓辐射式引申是指从本义出发向不同方向发展出直接引申义,形成辐射状的意义结构。“姐”、“哥”的静态词义在动态的使用中意义逐渐发生了变化,这是从两个方面实现的:一是客观的物质的联系,外部世界发生了某些变化,需要静态词义做出调整。如哥的意义从父到同辈年长具有血缘关系的男子。二是与语言交际过程的词汇的动态使用有关。如:“姐”、“哥”如今代表一类个性鲜明的女子或男子。是什么促使词义向这两个方面反生引申呢?它们内在的动因是什么?传统的词义发展理论认为原因有二: 1. 由语言表达的“求便”原则决定。生活里出现了新的事物,人们往往倾向于沿用某个旧词加以表达。 2. 语言运用的“求新”原则。出于语言生动性、鲜明性的考虑,说话人会主动赋予词语一种临时的新义,或将词语用于某种全新的语境中。而当人们的理解系统将这种临时新义评价为一种“正规”的词义时,这种意义就固化成了词的一个义位。 除了以上所述的原因之外,我们还可以从一个新的角度来解释这种现象,即隐喻认知的角度。“姐”、“哥”产生新的语义成分主要是通过隐喻实现的。通过隐喻中的相似性转移即“事物间的某种相似性靠隐喻促成的新旧义位之间的演变。”

四、“姐”、“哥”语义演变的隐喻认知 认知隐喻从源域到目标域的投射是构成词义的重要手段。根据形式相似的投射,根据发音相似的投射,以及根据创造型隐喻思维使就此产生新解,这些隐喻衍生出的新的表现方式在传统的构词法当中是很难被接受的,但是通过认知隐喻使熟悉的、旧的认知域投射到不熟悉的、新的认知域形成新的词义,就较容易被众多的网友所接受。隐喻在认知方面的成就在于它能发现跨范畴的相似性,术语不容范畴事物的相似性。(胡壮麟,2004)。“姐”、“哥”从初始义到常用义的演化,使人们运用隐喻思维将A认知域的概念向B认知域的事物投射的结果。从字典所载的本义看,“姐”、“哥”是对长者的尊称,“姐”、“哥”必然带有一定的榜样作用。而如今,“姐”、“哥”作为尊称这一属性,虽然在形式上得到了保留甚至强化,但起根基显然已经不再是年龄上的长幼关系,而是某种符合眼球效应的特异属性。以“犀利哥”为例:无论现实的人物,还是词语本身,“犀利哥”的潜在逻辑即:因为人很犀利,所以堪称哥。“章鱼哥”、“凤姐”等虽然形式上有所差异,但实质上也仍然符合“有某种属性而获取‘尊称地位’,在某个领域有‘领头’和‘榜样’的作用”。人们在初始义的基础上利用想象,将“姐”、“哥”概念成分的语义特征“长者的尊称”,当人们从具体概念中获得抽象思维能力的时候,往往在相似性的基础上,借助于表示具体事物的词来表达抽象概念。随后“姐”、“哥”可以表示对在一个领域里具有影响力的领军人物的尊称,由此产生了“姐”、“哥”的隐喻义:对有影响力和榜样作用的人的称呼。由此实现了由源域到目标域的跨域投射。而如今,随着网络“X姐”,“X哥”流行,“姐”、“哥”再次出现了转义。人们借助于逻辑推理能力和联想,找到源域和目标域之间的相似点——“影响力”,再次实现了从源域到目标域的跨域投射,“姐”、“哥”新的隐喻义再次产生,“X姐”、“X哥”族词的再概念得以完成。“姐”、“哥”词义由此不断的扩展、延伸而最终达到词义的泛化。这种词语语义范围的延展转化体现了人类隐喻认知的规律性。

五、小结 隐喻作为人们重要的认知方式,对人们认识事物、事物概念的形成、语言的发展都起了重要作用。传统的词汇语义学将词义的变化归于历史的、社会的因素。这些固然是词义变化的重要因素,但是只是外部因素,其内部因素源于语言使用者的认知思维(赵艳芳,2001)。认知隐喻对词汇的产生、演变和发展都起着不可或缺的作用。人们用有限的词汇去认识无限的世界是通过隐喻认知投射完成的。本文运用隐喻认知的理论对“姐”、“哥”的意义演变进行了研究。结果表明隐喻认知对“姐”、“哥”的意义演变起着重要的作用。

参考文献:
[1] Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M. Metaphors We Live by [M]. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.
[2] 朱红雷. 网络新词的隐喻研究[J]. 郑州航空工业管理学院学报,2008.
[3] 束定芳. 隐喻学研究[M]. 上海:上海外语教学出版社,2003.
[4] 王力. 古汉语常用字字典[M]. 北京:商务印书馆,2005.
[5] 现代汉语词典[Z]. 北京:商务印书馆,2005.
[6] 词源[Z]. 北京:商务印书馆,1980.
[7] 胡壮麟. 认知隐喻学[M]. 北京:北京大学出版社,2004.
[8] 赵艳芳. 认知语言学概论[M]. 上海:上海外语教学出版社,2001.
[9] 邹嘉晖. 认知隐喻在英语词汇发展中的作用[J]. 辽宁教育行政学院学报,2007.
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...Computational Linguistics   Computational linguistics (CL) is a discipline between linguistics and computer science which is concerned with the computational aspects of the human language faculty. It belongs to the cognitive sciences and overlaps with the field of artificial intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science aiming at computational models of human cognition. Computational linguistics has applied and theoretical components. Theoretical CL takes up issues in theoretical linguistics and cognitive science. It deals with formal theories about the linguistic knowledge that a human needs for generating and understanding language. Today these theories have reached a degree of complexity that can only be managed by employing computers. Computational linguists develop formal models simulating aspects of the human language faculty and implement them as computer programmes. These programmes constitute the basis for the evaluation and further development of the theories. In addition to linguistic theories, findings from cognitive psychology play a major role in simulating linguistic competence. Within psychology, it is mainly the area of psycholinguistics that examines the cognitive processes constituting human language use. The relevance of computational modelling for psycholinguistic research is reflected in the emergence of a new subdiscipline: computational psycholinguistics. Applied CL focusses on the practical outcome of modelling human language use. The methods...

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Descriptive Linguistics

...Language Teaching Methodology Theodore S. Rodgers, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawaii Background Language teaching came into its own as a profession in the last century. Central to this phenomenon was the emergence of the concept of "methods" of language teaching. The method concept in language teaching—the notion of a systematic set of teaching practices based on a particular theory of language and language learning—is a powerful one, and the quest for better methods was a preoccupation of teachers and applied linguists throughout the 20th century. Howatt's (1984) overview documents the history of changes of practice in language teaching throughout history, bringing the chronology up through the Direct Method in the 20th century. One of the most lasting legacies of the Direct Method has been the notion of "method" itself. Language Teaching Methodology Defined Methodology in language teaching has been characterized in a variety of ways. A more or less classical formulation suggests that methodology is that which links theory and practice. Theory statements would include theories of what language is and how language is learned or, more specifically, theories of second language acquisition (SLA). Such theories are linked to various design features of language instruction. These design features might include stated objectives, syllabus specifications, types of activities, roles of teachers, learners, materials, and so forth. Design features in turn are linked...

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The Linguistic Assessment of a Young Child

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Neuro Linguistic Programming

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Evaluate Chomsky's Contribution to Linguistics in Terms of 'Competence and Performance'

...Evaluate Chomsky's contribution to linguistics in terms of 'competence and performance'. Noam Chomsky is the famous American linguist. He is the most dominant linguist of present time. He has put aside the traditional concepts of language viewed as a set of rules. He believes that the ideal speaker-hearer knows the language of that community perfectly. That is why, the knowledge of the ideal speaker-hearer is more important to him than the descriptive rules of a language. Chomsky, in his revolutionary book Aspects of the Theory of Syntax (1965), has made a fundamental distinction between the knowledge of a language and its actual use. In order to explain his views about language, he has used two terms— (1) competence and (ii) performance. Competence (Grammatical sense): Linguistic competence, according to Chomsky, is the ideal speaker-hearer knowledge about a language. This knowledge is possessed by an ideal speaker-hearer. This knowledge helps to judge about a language. For example, an ideal speaker-hearer can judge which sentences are correct and which are not. In sum, linguistic competence is grammatical competence of an ideal speaker-hearer. Chomsky describes 'competence' as an idealized capacity that is located as a psychological or mental property (which naturally develops within us). This capacity or ability allows the speaker to understand the underlying rules of a language. Hence, competence allows the user to make general statements about the language. For...

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Linguistic Paths to Urban Self in Postcolonial Solomon Islands

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