概念隐喻视角下英语新词的生成机制研究

A Study on Production Mechanism of English Neologisms from the Perspective of Conceptual Metaphor

摘要: 纵观历史，世界政治格局发生剧变，经济全球化进程显著加快，促使英语词汇中涌现出大量新词。新词的产生不仅反映了社会生活的变迁，也体现了语言系统的自我更新能力。本文以概念隐喻理论为研究框架，借助《韦氏词典》在线版中的“时光旅行者”工具，其记录了历年来被首次使用的英语词汇，选取自1946年至2006年间的新词为研究对象，探讨英语词汇的变化趋势及其生成机制。研究发现，概念隐喻在新词的生成过程中发挥了重要作用；同时，随着科学技术的快速发展，英语词汇在隐喻思维的影响下呈现出简约化和实效化的发展趋势。本研究从认知语言学视角出发，揭示隐喻思维如何深层参与语言演变过程，不仅为英语词汇研究提供了新的理论视角，也为英语教学实践提出了将词汇学习与概念隐喻结合的有效策略，有助于提升学生的隐喻认知能力与词汇学习效率。

Abstract: Throughout history, the global political landscape has undergone profound transformations, and the process of economic globalization has accelerated significantly, leading to the emergence of many neologisms in the English lexicon. The creation of neologisms not only reflects changes in social life but also illustrates the self-renewing capacity of the language system. This study adopts Conceptual Metaphor Theory as its theoretical framework and utilizes the “Time Traveler” tool on the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, which records the first known use of English words by year. Focusing on neologisms that first appeared between 1946 and 2006, the study aims to explore the trends and production mechanisms underlying lexical change in English. The findings indicate that conceptual metaphors play a significant role in the production of English neologisms. Moreover, with the rapid advancement of science and technology, English vocabulary has exhibited a tendency toward simplification and efficiency under the influence of metaphorical thinking. From the perspective of cognitive linguistics, this research reveals how metaphorical cognition is deeply involved in the evolution of language. It not only offers a new theoretical lens for the research of English vocabulary but also proposes a pedagogical approach that integrates conceptual metaphors into English vocabulary instruction, aiming to cultivate students’ metaphorical thinking and enhance their lexical acquisition efficiency.