摘 要

象似性是当今认知语言学家们讨论的一个热点话题。象似性理论可以反映在语言的多个层面上，因此它不仅对于文学赏析和翻译研究有着极大的意义，对英语教学也有着很大的指导性作用。

一直以来，任意性都被看作是语言的最独特的特性之一。著名语言学家索绪尔认为语言符号的能指和它的所指之间没有任何联系或者说这种关系无法被定义出来。即语言符号和它在现实之中没有任何联系的所指之间的关系是任意的，约定俗成的。然而在20世纪40年代，美国实用主义和符号主义的创立者，著名哲学家皮尔斯用另外一种方法定义了句法，规则，象似之间的关系。他指出每种语言的句法，借助约定俗成的规则，都具有合乎逻辑的象似性。法国实用主义语言学家海曼是一位在句法象似性研究上取的伟大成就的学者，他认为句子的表层形式是其语义的象似图式。

本文通过对象似性理论进行全面系统介绍，探究如何将其运用到英语语法教学上。全文共分为三章。第一章重点介绍语言学之父索绪尔和乔姆斯基的任意性观点以及皮尔斯和海曼的象似性理论。第二章阐明了象似性理论的三个层次。第三章探讨象似性理论在英语语法教学上的具体运用。通过语法实例阐明了在实际英语教学中该理论可以达到事半功倍的效果。文章认为该理论和任意性都是英语语言的重要特性，它们共同存在使得语言完整并富有逻辑性。本文旨在让读者了解象似性理论，为英语语法教学方法提供新视角。

关键词： 象似性理论；英语语法教学；任意性；教学应用

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, Iconicity is a feverish topic discussed by cognitive linguists. Iconicity can be revealed at all levels of language. So it is not only significant for the analysis of literary work and the study of translation, but it can be very instructive to the teaching of English.

Throughout history, arbitrariness has been considered as one of the most distinguished features of language. Saussure (1857-1913), a famous linguist, asserted that there was no interrelationship between the signifier and signified or such relation cannot be testified; that’s to say, it is casual and conventional. However, in the 1940s, Peirce, founder of American practicalism and semiotics, defined icon, index and symbol in another way. He (1940) contended that syntax in every language mirrors logic Iconicity by means of conventional rules. Haiman, a French pragmatic linguist, makes the greatest achievements in studying syntactic iconicity. He believes that the surface form of a sentence iconically diagrams its semantics.

This thesis gives a comprehensive and systematic introduction of iconicity of language with emphasis on its application in English grammar teaching. This thesis is divided into three chapters. Chapter one introduces two representatives of arbitrariness, Saussure and Chomsky, and two pioneers in iconicity, Peirce and Haiman, by reviewing their arbitrary and iconic views about language respectively. Chapter two illustrates the three levels of iconicity. Chapter three gives grammatical examples to explain how iconicity can be implemental to English grammar teaching. This thesis aims to make iconicity familiar to readers so as to help create a new angle for English grammar teaching.

Key words: iconicity; English grammar teaching; arbitrariness; teaching application

Content

1 The Representatives of Arbitrariness and Iconicity and Their Views on Language 2

1.1 Arbitrary Views about Language 2

1.1.1 Saussure’s views 2

1.1.2 Chomsky’s views 3

1.2 Iconic Views about Language 4

1.2.1 Peirce’s Views 4

1.2.2 Haiman’s Views 6

2 Iconicity at Different Levels 7

2.1 Iconicity at phonological level 7

2.1.1 Auditory iconicity 7

2.1.2 Articulatory iconicity 8

2.1.3 Associative iconicity 8

2.2 Iconicity at Word Level 10

2.2.1 iconicity on graphology 10

2.2.2 iconicity on word formation 10

2.3 Iconicity on Syntactic Level 11

2.3.1 The Principle of Iconic Proximity 11

2.3.2 The Principle of Iconic Sequence 12

2.3.3 The Principle of Iconic Quantity 13

3 Application of the Theory of Iconicity to English Grammar Teaching 16

3.1 Iconic Phrase 16

3.1.1 Causation 16

3.1.2 Coordination 17

3.1.3 Possession 17

3.1.4 Transitivity 18

3.2 Iconicity in Finite Attribute Clause amp;Non-finite Attribute Clause 18

3.3 Iconocity in the Location of Adjective Modifiers 19

3.4 Iconcity in the Inflection of Predicate Verb 20

Conclusion 21

References 21

Acknowledgements 23

Introduction

Both linguists and philosophers have endlessly explored the relation between the signifier and the signified with great interest. Although the progress that was made by the Neogrammarian School in historical linguistics was mainly on the basis of arbitrariness of language, they couldn’t deny the fact that there were some exceptions to their “sound-law”.

The first time that iconicity about language had been speculated was in the Cratylus by Plato, who is a representative of Realism. In Cratylus, Plato contended that the general language activities stemmed from onomatopoeia. In his opinion, the nature of given object can be revealed by the signifier. For centuries, there has been debate on the nature of language, especially arbitrariness or iconicity. The theory of arbitrariness is widely accepted as one of the distinguished features. Saussure said that there is no intrinsic relation between the name and its given referent. Nevertheless, others believe that the signifier and the signified resemble each other in a way. That’s to say there is certain connection between them.

Since 1980s or maybe earlier 1970s, with more and more mature development of language and cognition exploration, people have found that language is not completely as arbitrary as the conventional explanations. It is claimed by the cognitive linguistics that language is molded or at least influenced by experience of the world and the way we perceive and conceptualize it (Ungereramp; Schmid, 2001). This kind of new point is also recognized by functionalists who hold the belief that language is not discrete or autonomous but based on cognitive processes. The iconicity originates from American philosopher Peirce. He observes that “In the syntax of every language, there are logical icons of the kind that are aided by conventional rules.”(Peirce, 1995)

The iconicity can be observed at three levels: phonology, morphology, syntax. Iconicity study has been combined with applied linguistics and literary criticism and other field. The arbitrariness and iconicity can both exist in the principals of language. This thesis is aimed to make people familiar with iconicity and give a detailed introduction to its applications in language teaching.