英语时间介词“in”的容器–路径整合模式

The Container-Path Schema of Temporal Preposition “in” in English

摘要: 时空概念深刻塑造人类的认知方式和语言表达。本研究聚焦英语介词in在时间域的表现，从意象图示理论出发重新探究in的认知模式。研究发现，当介词in处于描述过去和现在事件的语境中时，in呈现出容器图示的认知模式，表“一段时间之内”之义；在涉及未来事件时，则表现出容器–路径融合图示的特点，表示“一段时间之后”的语义内涵。这一融合的本质是容器图式在时间单向性压制下路径显化的结果，过程中经历了容器锚定、路径化压缩和终点吸附三个阶段。本研究为时间介词in的认知分析提出了新观点。

Abstract: The concept of time and space profoundly shapes human cognitive style and language expression. This study focuses on the performance of the English preposition “in” in the time domain, and re-explores the cognitive model of in from the perspective of image schema theory. The study found that when the preposition “in” is in the context of describing past and present events, “in” presents a cognitive model of container schema, which means “for a period of time”; when it comes to future events, it shows the characteristics of container-path fusion diagram, indicating the semantic connotation of “after a period of time”. The essence of this fusion is the result of the path explicitation of the container schema under the unidirectional suppression of time. The process has gone through three stages: container anchoring, path compression and end-point adsorption. This study puts forward a new perspective for the cognitive analysis of temporal preposition “in”.