Abstract：Every object has a certain color and we actually live in a colorful world.

“Red” and “black” are two basic color terms in languages. Color words in a large extent are expressed through the establishment of metaphors on the basis of human perception. However, due to the different views of languages, cultural values, beliefs and historical tradition, the concepts of “black” and “red “in English and Chinese exist differences.

The thesis studies the conceptual metaphors of two basic color terms “red” and “black” in Chinese and English from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. From the data we have collected, we observe that the number of conceptual metaphors of “black” in Chinese and English is totally twelve, among which seven are shared by the Chinese and the English, only two belong to the English and the other three belong to the Chinese; meanwhile, the number of conceptual metaphors of “red” in Chinese and English is totally thirteen, among which only three are shared by the Chinese and the English, two belong to the English and the other eight belong to the Chinese. 

 These findings reflect the commonalities and differences between the people in these two cultures in conceptualizing the world. The factors that influence the cognition of basic color terms can be attributed to the following two reasons, namely cognitive factors, and cultural and social factors. The study has a profound significance on the understanding of basic-color terms from cognitive perspective.

Key Words: basic color term; red; black; conceptual metaphor; contrastive analysis

CONTENTS

摘要

Abstract

Chapter 1 Introduction-1

1.1-The Background of the Study-1

1.2 The Purpose of the Study-2

1.3 The Significance of the Study-2

1.4 The Structure of the Thesis-2

Chapter 2 Literature Review-4

2.1 Studies on the Color Terms-4

2.1.1 The Studies on Color Terms Abroad-4

2.1.2 The Studies of Color Terms at Home-5

2.2 The Study Tendency-5

Chapter 3 Theoretical Foundation-6

3.1Briefly summaried experts propel the exploration of metaphor-6

3.1.1Metaphors are ubiquitous-6

3.1.2 Metaphor is cognitive and a thinking pattern-6

3.1.3 Metaphors constituent a system-7

3.1.4 Metaphors include two domains-7

3.1.5 Metaphorical projection is rooted in our experiences-7

3.2 The Theoretical Foundation of the Current Study-8

Chapter 4 A Contrastive study of Chinese and English Basic Color Terms “Black” and “Red”-9

4.1 Conceptual Metaphors of “Black” in Chinese and English-9

4.1.1 Commonalities of Conceptual Metaphors of “Black” in Chinese and English-9

4.1.2Differences of Conceptual Metaphors of “Black” in Chinese and English-12

4.2 Conceptual Metaphors of “Red” in Chinese and English-13

4.2.2 Differences of Conceptual Metaphors of “Red” in Chinese and English-14

4.3 A Comprehensive Summary-17

Chapter 5 Factors for the Commonalities and Differences-21

5.1Cogntive factors-21

5.2 Social and Cultural Basis-21

Chapter 6 Conclusion-23

6.1 The Findings of the Study-23

6.2 The Significance of the Study-24

6.3 The Limitation of the Study-24

Reference-25