This thesis aims to construct a semantic system for the disparate uses of peh in TSM and peh¡¦s pragmatic functions in actual language uses in terms of cognitive accounts. Firstly, based on the data collected from dictionaries of the Ministry of Education, the present study divided the various meanings of peh into two main types, i.e., prototypical meaning and extended meanings. Prototypical meaning is further classified into perception-based type. How peh is perceived in perception-based type is in close relationship with the actual environment where we interact with. On the other hand, the main category under extended meanings is conception-based type, which is divided into four subcategories of cognitive mechanisms. That is, the diverse meanings of peh in conception-based type will be interpreted in the perspective of four subcategories of cognitive mechanisms. They are metonymic extension, metaphorical extension, the interaction of metaphor and metonymy, and culturally-related extension. Then, to better understand peh¡¦s pragmatic functions in TSM, the study shifts its foucus to the examination of the interrelationship between peh and the shared Taiwanese cultural background knowledge in actual language uses. Basically, the function which peh serves in discourse depends mainly on the context where it is used, and the world or the community will determine and pick up the most appropriate wordings for us (Mey, 2008). There is no definite answer as to which linguistic expression bears which meaning or interpretation when we try to sort out all possible interpretations and meanings for each linguistic expression containing peh. We need both contextual clues and cultural background knowledge to decipher peh¡¦s underlying meanings. The encodings of color perception do not lie in our biology; instead, it is structured socially (Lucy, 1997). In addition, certain uses of peh, e.g., pe̍h-pau (¥Õ¥]), pe̍h-thiap-á (¥Õ©«¥J), etc., in real life discourse make the function of peh more than a representation of the color itself but bridge the gap and create interpersonal relationship between their language users at the same time. On the whole, this research may shed light on the cognitive understanding of peh in TSM not only semantically but also pragmatically.

This study revolves around the different underlying metaphorical or metonymical structures of three specific idioms, one English, one Swedish and one German, but with equivalent semantics. The structure of the source and target domains was analysed, as well as the mapping from source to target. The lexical features and the cognitive concepts involved were analysed as well. The method used for this study was an analysis based on cognitive linguistics and conceptual metaphor theory. The result shows a structure of conceptual metaphor within the English and German idioms: making a small entity into a big entity is exaggeration. The Swedish idiom consists of a conceptual metaphor but with a metonymic structure: the part for the whole is exaggeration. The result also suggests a difference in meaning of the definitions of the idioms, indicating that the form of exaggeration varies depending on which idiom is used.

This paper analyses the similarities and differences of the cognitive structures of the English-Swedish idiom pair to step into someone’s shoes and att axla någons mantel (to shoulder someone’s mantle [lit.]) in order to investigate possible conceptual or embodied motivations for their meanings. Using dictionaries and corpora to support all findings, the conceptual nature and intended meaning of each idiom were closely analysed and compared. The investigation shows metaphorical, metonymical and embodied structures which might possibly explain why these two idioms mean the same thing as a whole even though they are lexically different from each other. The results indicate that conceptual and embodied mechanisms have motivated the meanings of the idioms, thus suggesting that idiom comprehension in general as well as second language learning would greatly benefit from a more cognitive approach.

Cette thèse présente une analyse linguistique d’une sélection de poèmes de John Keats, et plus précisément celle de l’expression et de la verbalisation de l’émotion à travers le langage dans les vingt-six poèmes qui composent le corpus poétique et qui constituent le point de départ de cette recherche. L’approche linguistique privilégiée est une approche cognitive, basée sur les théories de la linguistique cognitive, de la grammaire cognitive, et de la poétique cognitive. La théorie de la métaphore et de la métonymie conceptuelles joue également un rôle important dans les analyses poétiques et grammaticales présentées dans cette thèse. L’émotion est conçue comme embodied (incarnée). Son étude s’appuie sur les travaux des cognitivistes, sur la philosophie et sur les recherches en neurobiologie. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’examiner les manières dont l’émotion s’exprime au sein de la poésie keatsienne par une interrogation approfondie de la langue elle-même, en partant donc du principe que les éléments lexicaux et grammaticaux – et leur signification – qui composent les poèmes s’avèrent essentiels pour bien rendre compte de la traduction poétique de l’expérience émotionnelle. / This thesis presents a linguistic analysis of a selection of poems by John Keats: specifically, the expression and verbalization of emotion by way of language the twenty-six poems that compose the poetic corpus upon which this research is founded. The linguistic approach taken is a cognitive approach, based on the theories of cognitive linguistics, cognitive grammar, and cognitive poetics. Conceptual Metaphor and Metonymy Theory also play an important role in the poetic and grammatical analyses. The approach concerning emotion is an embodied one, based in language, philosophy, and with support from neurobiological research. The goal of this thesis is to examine the ways in which emotion is expressed within Keatsian poetry by a close interrogation of the language itself, thus holding the view that the lexical and grammatical elements—and their semantics—that compose the verses and poems themselves are essential to the salience of the poetic rendering of emotional experience.