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A Corpus-based Research on Spatial Metaphorical Binomials

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DOI: 10.23977/langl.2024.070705 | Downloads: 7 | Views: 142

Author(s)

Zixuan Cheng 1

Affiliation(s)

1 School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

Corresponding Author

Zixuan Cheng

ABSTRACT

Current linguistic researchers incorporate the concept of "markedness" into spatial metaphorical binomials and assume that language learners follow a sequence of "unmarked-and-marked" when acquiring a language. With respect to the psychological preferences of optimistic hypothesis that consider the "upper" side as "unmarked", dominant-hand theory that deems "right" as "unmarked" and mental anticipation that favors "front" as "unmarked", this research selects a series of spatial metaphorical binomials and their reversed types in relation to "upper/lower" "left/right" "front/back" in the the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) to obtain proportional and distributionl statistics in order to testify and complement current hypotheses.

KEYWORDS

Spatial Metaphorical Binomial, markedness, Egocentric theory, optimistic hypothesis

CITE THIS PAPER

Zixuan Cheng, A Corpus-based Research on Spatial Metaphorical Binomials. Lecture Notes on Language and Literature (2024) Vol. 7: 32-38. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/langl.2024.070705.

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