figure-and-ground

figureandground认知语言学导论李福印编著difinitonapplicationdomainsfigure&groundinsimplesentencesfigure&groundincomplexsentencesORIGINSOFTHENOTIONSOFFIGUREANDGROUND•TheFigure/GrounddistinctionwasfirstintroducedinpsychologybytheDanishpsychologistEdgarRubinandpublicizedinhis1915study(EdgarRubin,SynsoplevedeFigurer,1915,Germantrans.VisuellWahrgenommeFiguren,1921)probablyinspiredbyFrenchprintsofthe18th(aspointedoutbyGombrich1978).difinition•theFigureisamovingorconceptuallymovableentitywhosepath,site,ororientationisconceicdasavariable,theparticularvalueofwhichistherelevantissue.•theGroundisareferenceentity,onethathasastationarysettingrelativetoareferenceframe,withrespecttowhichtheFigure'spath,site,otorientationischaracterized.•(Talmy2000a:312)•impressionistically,thefigurewithinasceneisasubstructureperceivedasstandingoutfromtheremainder(theground)andaccordedspecialprominenceasthepivotalentityaroundwhichthesceneisorganizedandforwhichitprovidesasetting.(Langacker1987:120)applicationdomains•thespatialrelationisthefirstdomainoffigureandgroundtheory,Talmythenappliedittothestudyofcomplexsentences.later,thistheoryexpandedtothesyntax,discourseandspeecheventresearch.figure&groundinsimplesentences•CognitivelinguistsbelievethattheSVOstructureinaasimpletransitivesentenceisareflectionoffigureandgroundtheoryonsyntacticlevel.•peopleusuallyputthefigureasthesubject,andthegroundastheobject.therelationshipbetweenthefocusandthebackgroundisreflectedthroughtheverb•eg.a.susanbroketheglass(withahammer)•b.thehammerbroketheglass.•c.theglassbroke•susanistheagent,glassisthepatientandthehammeristheinstrument.•aisthearchetypeexpressionpeopleusuallytreattheagentasthefigureandthesubject.•actionchain•agent-------instrument----------patientsusanhammertheglasssentencebandcarejustpartoftheactionchain.archetypesubjectarchetypeobjectarchetyperoleAGENTPATIENTprominencethefigureofthesentencethegroundogthesentencepositionoftheactionchainintheinitialpartoftheactionchain,itisthesourceofenergytransferintheendoftheactionchain,itistheendoftheenergytransfer•inspecificlanguagephenomenon,therearemanysentencesthatviolatethosecharacteristics,suchaspassivesentences,invertedsentences.theyarethemarkedexpressionsfigure&groundincomplexsentences•cognitivelinguiststhinkthatthesubordinateclauseisusuallythegroundthemainclauseisusuallythefigure•eg.a.thewindowwasbrokenafterthewindblewonit•b.thewindblewonitbeforethewindowwasbroken.•aisthetypicalwayofexpression,thewindowwasbrokenisusuallythefigure•bmaybeemphasizethereasonthatcausestheevent.moreexamples•theclassbeganafterthebellrang.(sequenceprinciple)•shesleptuntilhearrived.(Principleofcausality)•hehadtwoaffairswhilehewasmarried.(inclusionprinciple)•hedreamtwhileheslept.(principleofdecision)•heisplayingratherthanworking(principleofsubtitution)•sentencesthatviolatethoseprincipleseitherdonotexistoraremarked.•eg.whenjerrywaschairofthedepartment,everythingwasallright.•wheneverythingwasallright,Jerrrywaschairofthedepartment.astudyontranslationofclassicalchiesepoetryfromtheperspectiveoffigure-groundperspective辽宁师范大学硕士论文background•Differentimagesbeardifferentmeanings.Althoughtheymayappearinthesamelineinaparallelway,theirstatusesarenotequal.Thatisdependentonthepoets’focusofattentionandcenterofintention.Theflexibilityinsyntacticstructureandfreedomingrammaralsogivethepoetsmorefreedomtowriteandatthesametimeposemoredifficultiesforreadersnowadaystounderstand.Beforetranslating,thetranslatorneedstoknowwhatthepoetswantedtomeanbythewordstheyusedandthewaytheyarrangedthem,forformisoneofthemethodstoexpressmeanings.Forsuchpurpose,figure-groundtheoryisproposed.•天意怜幽草，人间重晚晴•天意(theGod)”and“人间(theworld)”areputonthemostprominentpositionsineachline,thereforetheyshouldbeawardedthestatusofsubjectandsyntacticfigureintheirscene.“幽草(grass)”and“晚晴(clearnessatdusk)”arethegroundsand“怜(takepityon)”and“重(thinkalotof)”expresstherelationbetweenfiguresandgrounds.•Thereforethepoetput“天意”and“人间”attheprominentpositionstoshowfateandmadetheclearnessatduskbearspecialmeaningsoflife.•“渭城朝雨浥轻尘,客舍青青柳色新”•Although“渭城“isputatthebeginningoftheline,itshouldnotbeunderstoodasthefigure.Itisnotthemostprominentelementforitdoesnotgenerateanactionchain.Itisthenameoftheplaceandfunctionsasthebackground.Itisputatthebeginningforthesakeofstructureofthewholeline.•“朝雨(morningdrizzle)”isthefigurebecauseitinitiatesanactionchainandtransmitsenergyto“轻尘(lightdust)”,whichistheground.•“客舍(hotel)”hasthesamestatusas“渭城”,i.e.background.“柳色(willow)”isthemostprominentelementbecausethecolorofthewillowschangedandbecamemorefresh.So“柳色”isthefigureandthecentreofthescene.Thegroundisidenticalwiththefigure.“浥(settle)”and“新(fresh)”showtheinfluenceoffiguresonthegrounds.•朝雨(morningdrizzle)”createdagrayenvironmentforthedepartingfriends.“柳(willow)”inChinesehasthesamepronunciationas“留”,whichmeanstostay.“朝雨”and“柳色”functionsasfiguresineachline,notonlypointingoutthecenterofthescene,butalsoconveyingtheartisticconception.•秋浦歌•白发三千丈，缘愁似个长。•不知明镜里，何处得秋霜。•“白发”(whitehair)isthefigureandsyntacticsubject;“三千丈”(threethousandzhangs)isthegroundan