一、原始依据和参考文献

[1]  Allan, Keith. Euphemism and Dysphemism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

[2]  Channell, Joanna. Vague Language. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Edu.

Press. 2000.

[3]  Fauconnier, G. Mental Spaces: Aspects of Meaning Construction in Natural

Language. Cambridge: CUP, 1994.

[4]  Fauconnier, G. Mappings in Thought and Language. Cambridge: CUP, 1997.

[5]  Fauconnier, G. and M. Turner. Conceptual Integration Network. Cognitive

Linguistics, 22(2), 133-187, 1998.

[6]  Fauconnier, G. and E. Sweetser. Spaces, Worlds, and Grammar. Chicago: The

 University of Chicago Press, 1996.

[7]  Fauconnier, G. and M. Turner. The Way We Think: Conceptual Blending and the

Mind: Hidden Complexities. New York: Basic Books, 2002.

[8]  G. Radden and K. Panther (Eds). Cognitive Domains: Metonymies and Image

Schemas. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1999.

[9]  Grady, J. Cognitive mechanism of conceptual integration. Cognitive Linguistics

 11, 335-345, 2000.

[10]  Leech, G.N. Principles of Pragmatics. London: Longman Group Limited, 1983.

[11]  从莱庭.英语委婉语详解词典.武汉:湖北教育出版社,2001.

[12]  胡曙中.现代英语修辞.上海:上海外语教育出版社,2004.

[13]  刘纯豹.英语委婉语词典.北京:商务印书馆,2002.

[14]  邵军航,樊葳葳.委婉机制的认知语言学诠释.外语研究,2004,(4).

[15]  文 军.英语修辞格词典.重庆:重庆大学出版社,1992.

[16]  谢祖钧.英语修辞.北京:机械工业出版社,1988.

二、研究内容和要求

Contents of the studies:

The word euphemism comes from Greek meaning “fair speech”. Euphemism is defined in the New Edition of the Oxford Concise Dictionary (1976) as “substitution of mild or vague or roundabout expression for harsh or direct one; expression thus substituted.” The study of euphemism can be divided mainly into two phases. The study before 21^st century was mainly based on the traditional syntax and pragmatics. In 1960s when sociolinguistic theories were introduced to China, many scholars began to study the special social functions of Euphemism. Later, other studies about its classification, construction manners and laws of changing. In the book, New Discoveries About Euphemism written by Shu Dingfang and Xu Jinyuan, four basic construction principles of Euphemism were well discussed. It was a breakthrough in the theories of Euphemism. Since the cognitive linguistics was introduced to China, the nature and mental mechanics of its cognition has been studied. However, the cognitive study of euphemism has mainly focused on the general principles and mechanics of its generation and operation. There has been no structural description of the whole process of cognition.

The conceptual blending theory is a new and developing branch of cognitive linguistics that rose just in recent years. It provides a new point for the study of euphemism’s mechanics. The "many-space" or "conceptual integration networks" theory of Fauconnier and Turner (1994, 1998) is an elaboration of the two-space model of metaphor that has been the cornerstone of the metaphor field since Aristotle (1954), and which has underpinned a string of conceptual theories from Richards (1936), through Black (1962) and Koestler (1964) to Lakof and Johnson (1980). The theory of conceptual integration, in contrast, posits as many of these input spaces as are needed, as well as a generic space-a conceptual space that provides the ground for the integration-and a blended space-the space in which the conceptual product is constructed. In blending, structure from input mental spaces is projected to a separate, "blended" mental space. The projection is selective. Through composition, completion and elaboration, the blend develops structure not provided by the inputs. Inferences, arguments, and ideas developed in the blend can have effect in cognition, leading us to modify the initial inputs and to change our view of the corresponding situations. This paper will take the Conceptual Blending Theory as a starting point to investigate the on-line cognitive mechanisms involved in euphemism interpretation. Meanwhile, it attempts to examine the Conceptual Blending Theory to see if there is something that can be benefited from and that needs to be enriched in the present research.

Requirements:

As an indispensable part of undergraduate education, the writing of thesis plays an important role in developing the students’ ability of comprehensively applying learnt knowledge and skills to practical use. According to Document No. 38 of Tianjin University issued in 2004 on the requirements of undergraduates’ thesis, students should stick to the following requirements:

1.  The thesis must be based on the student’s own ideas. Plagiarizing is not allowed.

2.  The thesis should strictly conform to the format set by the university.

3.  The length of the thesis is 6000-8000 words.

4.  Under the guidance of the supervisor, students should finish the thesis within the period from November 15^th, 2005 to May 15^th, 2006.

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