Metaphorical language change is Self-Organized Criticality

被引:2
作者
Tang, Xuri [1 ]
Ye, Huifang [1 ]
机构
[1] Huazhong Univ Sci & Technol, Sch Foreign Languages, Wuhan, Peoples R China
关键词
fractal; metaphorical language change; self-organized criticality; COMPLEX ADAPTIVE SYSTEM; FRACTAL NATURE; COGNITION; DYNAMICS; PATTERNS; SYNTAX; CAREER;
D O I
10.1515/cllt-2022-0016
中图分类号
H0 [语言学];
学科分类号
030303 ; 0501 ; 050102 ;
摘要
One way to resolve the actuation problem of metaphorical language change is to provide a statistical profile of metaphorical constructions and generative rules with antecedent conditions. Based on arguments from the view of language as complex systems and the dynamic view of metaphor, this paper argues that metaphorical language change qualifies as a Self-Organized Criticality state and the linguistic expressions of a metaphor can be profiled as a fractal with spatio-temporal correlations. Synchronously, these metaphorical expressions self-organize into a self-similar, scale-invariant fractal that follows a power-law distribution; temporally, long range interdependence constrains the self-organization process by the way of transformation rules that are intrinsic of a language system. This argument is verified in the paper with statistical analyses of twelve randomly selected Chinese verb metaphors in a large-scale diachronic corpus.
引用
收藏
页码:37 / 67
页数:31
相关论文
共 95 条
[11]  
Beckner C, 2009, LANG LEARN, V59, P1
[12]  
Beneov M., 2015, SEQUENCES LANGUAGE T, P57, DOI DOI 10.1515/9783110362879
[13]  
Black, 1955, M AR SOC, V1
[14]   S-CURVES AND THE MECHANISMS OF PROPAGATION IN LANGUAGE CHANGE [J].
Blythe, Richard A. ;
Croft, William .
LANGUAGE, 2012, 88 (02) :269-304
[15]   The career of metaphor [J].
Bowdle, BF ;
Gentner, D .
PSYCHOLOGICAL REVIEW, 2005, 112 (01) :193-216
[16]   The fractal nature of nature: power laws, ecological complexity and biodiversity [J].
Brown, JH ;
Gupta, VK ;
Li, BL ;
Milne, BT ;
Restrepo, C ;
West, GB .
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 2002, 357 (1421) :619-626
[17]  
Burridge Kate, 2017, Understanding Language Change
[18]   From usage to grammar: The mind's response to repetition [J].
Bybee, Joan .
LANGUAGE, 2006, 82 (04) :711-733
[19]  
Cameron L., 2010, Metaphor analysis: Research practice in applied linguistics, social science and the humanities
[20]  
Cameron L., 1999, RES APPL METAPHOR, P105