1. 简介
1.1研究背景
本篇论文是在象似性理念的基础上研究了英语多重修饰语所依照的象似性原理及认知程序。象似性，作为认知语言学中的一个重要概念，主要研究语言形式或结构与其所表达的概念或概念结构之间的相似关系。As a result, the expression will convey an unexpected meaning and even anungrammatical expression is produced. And the issue of multi-premodifiers in English hasattracted much attention of modern linguists and grammarians. They have made deep andinsightful studies on the structure and ordering of multi-premodifiers, especiallypremodifying adjectives, and some try to find out possible reasons for the ordering.Linguists such as Bache, Van Valin & Lapolla, Quirk et al, and Halliday. have concludedthe detailed patternshttp://www.1daixie.com/dxyylw and the reasons of the ordering from traditional structural grammaticalviewpoint to semantic, functional and cognitive point of view. Also, linguists in China suchas Zhang Zhenbang, and Gu Jiazu, show much interest in the issue.In recent years, linguists have put more interest in the study of cognitive linguistics,and they have tried to find out the reasons for the ordering of multi-premodifiers. As a mainprinciple of cognitive linguistics, iconicity seems to throw some light on the issue. Here inthe essay, the author tries to a study of the ordering of multi-premodifiers from the iconicperspective based on the previous study of other cognitive linguists.
1.2 Objectives of the Study研究目标
Since the co-occurrence of multiple premodifiers may cause difficulty for English learnersand even native speakers, it is important to form a clear picture of the ordering ofmulti-premodifiers. And the reasons, esp. the cognitive reasons may help to correctly ordermulti-premodifiers. This proposed study will try to generalize a clear pattern of word orderof English multi-premodifiers. analyze the ordering of multi-premodifiers from an iconicapproach, thus find out thehttp://www.1daixie.com/dxyylw cognitive rule of understanding and using multi-premodifiers inEnglish, which can help teaching and learning of English multi-premodifiers.In this sense, the study can help strengthen our understanding of the relationshipbetween language and cognition, form and meaning. Therefore, we can effectively andeasily analyze language and apply the understanding to English teaching and learning.
In the study, the essay will first explore the acceptable word order of multi-premodifierswith the help of previous studies of other linguists. And then in analyzing iconicity in theordering of multi-premodifiers, besides the principle of proximity iconicity, it will try togive detailed analysis on the principle of sequence iconicity in the issue. The writer selectsvarious examples (31 examples) of noun phrases with multi-premodifiers from LongmanSpoken and Written English Corpus, Bache's Another Look at The Order of PremodifyingAdjectives in Pi^esent-Day English (1997) and other grammatical books such as ZhangZhenbang's New English Grammar (1997), and by analyzing the schematic structures ofthe given examples, it is hoped to make an insight into the iconic properties in the orderingof multi-premodifiers and make some suggestions in the application of the rules.
Chapter 2 Literature Review文献综述
2.1 Word Order Features of English Multi-premodifiers英语修饰语语序特点
在本节中，笔者将总结以往的研究多英语名词词组中前置修饰语顺序的问题，然后得出结论，在基本订购模式多修饰语。
In English expressions, noun phrases play an important part. Quirk et al. (1985: 61) holdthat verb phrase and noun phrase can be considered as the most important phrasalcategories for functional reasons. The noun phrase is more important owing to itsmultiplicity in function.Generally speaking, noun phrases (NP) can be defined from two linguistic perspectives.Firstly, regarding traditional grammar, a noun phrase refers to a nominal structure ― a groupof words that function as a noun or pronoun and that can be replaced by a noun or pronounin a sentence. Also, a noun phrase refers to a phrase headed by a noun ― a group of wordswhose head is a noun or pronoun. The other perspective in which a noun phrase means anoun-headed phrase is often adopted by Linguistic Structuralism.
TransformationalGrammar and other relevant theories. It is also applied to this thesis:"A noun phrase, in the strict sense, consists of a noun as head, either alone oraccompanied by determiners (which specify the reference of the noun) and modifiers (whichdescribe or classify the entity denoted by the head noun)" (Biber. etc., 2000: 97).As to the phenomenon of modifiers,章振邦(1999) mentions in his a New EnglishGrammar Course: "Modification is an important grammatical device for description andsentence expansion." A modifier, which could be a word, a phrase or even a sentence, isan important component of the sentence. It is the "source" of a sentence, and provides thedetails for the sentence.
Chapter Ⅲ Iconicity in the Ordering........................................34-40
3.1 Proximity Iconicity in the Ordering ........................................34-37
3.1.1 Principle of Proximity Iconicity ........................................34-35
3.1.2 Order of English Multi-premodifiers Bound ........................................35-37
3.2 Sequence Iconicity in the Ordering ........................................37-40
3.2.1 Principle of Sequence Iconicity........................................ 37-38
3.2.2 Order of English Multi-premodifiers Bound ........................................38-40
Chapter Ⅳ Cognition of Iconicity in Ordering........................................ 40-49
4.1 Cognition of the Ordering of Multi-premodifiers........................................ 40-46
4.1.1 The Information Structure ........................................ 40-42
4.1.2 Ordering of Multi-premodifiers ........................................ 42-45
4.1.3 Trajector and Landmark of Multi-premodifiers........................................ 45-46
4.2 Cognitive Propertities of iconicity in the Ordering........................................46-49
4.2.1 Property of Proximity Iconicity in the Ordering ........................................ 47
4.2.2 Property of Sequence Iconicity in the Ordering ........................................ 47-49
Chapter 5 Conclusion........................................ 49-51
5.1 Major Findings........................................ 49
5.2 Limitations and Suggestions ........................................49-51
Conclusion结论
The thesis reviews previous researches and studies to present a relatively clear picture ofpresent state of the research and the limitations of these studies. And then from a cognitivepoint of view, the thesis analyzes the iconic principles governing the ordering and itscognitive process. In the end, the study reaches the following conclusions: 1) The order ofmulti-premodifiers corresponds to the conceptual distance between the premodifiers andthe head noun. In this sense, proximity iconicity, to a large extent, determines the orderingof multi-premodifiers in English noun phrases. 2) The ordering of multi-premodifiers in anoun phrase follows spatiotemporal order, and is influenced by human thinking ways andmental viewpoints, as well as cultural ideas. In this sense, it follows the principle ofsequence iconicity. 3) The ordering of multi-premodifiers is governed by principles oficonicity, and follows the principle that the smaller the conceptual distance, the smaller theformal distance.
And in discussing the cognition of ordering of multi-premodifiers. the informationstructure of noun phrases is analyzed. It is argued that the ordering of multi-premodifiers isgoverned by principle of iconicity concerning their cognitive domains, and also, theordering can be recognized as a reflection of prominence in terms of trajectory-landmarktheory. Finally; the properties of iconicity in the ordering are concluded.