图形背景理论视角下李清照词中女性意识的认知研究

Chapter Ⅰ Introduction

1.1 Research Background
From the 1970s to the 1980s, with the development of cognitive linguistic,cognitive linguists have studied the relationship between language and cognitionfrom different angles and levels, and explained the cognitive basis of speechgeneration and understanding. Figure-Ground theory, as one of the basic concepts ofcognitive linguistics, expounds the basic psychological model of human cognition,which can be used universally to form a detailed cognitive framework for textanalysis, and can also be used to form a general view across the entire discourse.Figure-Ground theory, which holds that the perception of the subject usually consistsof two parts: figure and ground, was originally proposed by Rubin (1958), a Danishpsychologist. A figure is a prominent part of a cognitive concept or a focus ofattention, while a ground is a part that plays a role in highlighting the figure. Whenwe look at an object in the surrounding environment, we often see this object as aperceptually prominent figure, while the environment as the ground, which is theprinciple of prominence. The Figure- Ground theory is so significant that Stockwellonce said, “ If we did not have the facility for creating a difference between figureand ground, then we would only be able to perceive a ‘flat field’ of interlockingshapes and colors in our environment” (Stockewell, 2002:14). Talmy(1975a) firstapplies the Figure-Ground theory into linguistic field. He uses the “figure-groundsegregation principle” to explain meaning of prepositions in spatial sentence. Fromthen on, more and more scholars use the theory to research some basic principles oflanguage structure. Although the application of figure-ground theory to Tang poetryis increasing, few scholars have applied this theory to the study of Song Lyrics,especially the study of Li Qingzhao's lyric.
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1.2 Research Significance
The thesis strengthens the explanatory power of Figure-Ground theory. Sincethe conceptions of Figure and Ground were employed in the study of cognitivelinguistics, there has been a big lead in linguistic research. Considering that there arehuge differences of the syntax structure between English and Chinese, byinvestigating the realization of Figure and Ground in ancient Chinese, the thesis isnot only a supplement to further prove the validity of Figure-Ground theory in theexplanation of linguistic phenomena, but also sheds some new light on the study oflyric languages.
It also expands the research scope of literature, especially literature study offeminine consciousness in Li’s lyrics which has always been the focus of scholarsand poets. In the course of nearly a hundred years of research, Li’s research has gonethrough different stages. Each stage has different research directions and researchpriorities, from sensibility to rationality, from prose to monograph, whose problemsinvolved are all-encompassing. The research on Li Qingzhao involves the followingcontents：research on her life story, on her works and the research on her evaluation,etc. The research on her works includes the classification of works, ideologicalimplication, artistic features, creative style, poetic imagery, aesthetic features, etc.These studies have made remarkable achievements, but there are still someshortcomings. The research content of the predecessors is relatively concentrated andthe quality is uneven and few people use the theory of cognitive linguistics toanalyze her lyrics. The application of Figure-Ground theory to Li’s lyrics is rarer.
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Chapter Ⅱ Literature Review

2.1 Previous Study on Li Qingzhao’s Lyrics
This section gives a brief introduction to Li Qingzhao and her lyrics, includingher family background, marital status, her artistic talents and her ups and downs oflife experiences. At the same time, the previous research on Li Qingzhao and herlyrics is also presented in this section.
2.1.1 Introduction to Li Qingzhao and Her lyrics
The long Chinese feudal society is an era in which personal inpiduality andtalents have been deeply suppressed. Due to serious shackles of feudal ethics,women have no social status, deprived of their rights to participate in many fieldsuch as politics and culture. Under this unequal social system between men andwomen, political and literary are almost dominated by men, thus most women canonly rely on men to spend their days. However, in this era of deep-rooted feudalethical concepts, there are still some outstanding women, such as Li Qingzhao, whoconquered the world with her rich and profound literary talent and wrote a gloriouspage for women in the history of literature. In the field of female emotionalaesthetics created by Li Qingzhao, the feminine tender beauty, the poet’s idealbeauty and the masculine beauty are integrated into one, which shows the joy, painand pursuit of ideals of an ancient female intellectual.\
Li Qingzhao was also respected as “Yi’an Ju Shi”, born in a scholarly family inJinan, Shandong Province. Living in such a family atmosphere, Li’s personality hasbe publicized, her thoughts have been liberated and her talents have been able todisplay. Li Qingzhao, who was outgoing and lively in her girlhood, shared commonhobbies with her husband and enjoyed sweet life despite short partings with herhusband sometimes. Her life changed dramatically until she lost her homeland andher husband. After experiencing the volatility and a series of heavy blows, LiQingzhao’s works have more fulfilling content, richer emotions and deeper aestheticexperience.

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2.2 Previous Study on Feminine Consciousness
2.2.1 The Definition and Development of Feminine Consciousness
Feminine consciousness, the self-knowledge of women, is a woman’sexploration of the particularity of her own existence. What she observes is no longerthe woman in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of herself. As a self-reflection andself-criticism, it is a positive and effective negation of the male experience by thefemale. Feminine consciousness is the product of female self-awareness evoked bywomen through acquired learning. It is the woman who positions herself as aninpidual with independent personality on the premise of her own gender identity.Generally speaking, women with feminine consciousness have the ability to thinkindependently since they will estimate, analyze as well as selectively accept thegender traits and responsibilities imposed on them by society from their ownperspectives.
The term consciousness raising is firstly put forward in the Red StockingsManifesto (1969), which draws on the analysis of oppressed class structure inMarxist theory, claiming that women are an oppressed class whose roles are definedby men. “Consciousness raising” is defined as the inpidual through education totransform the oppressed experience of daily life into critical consciousness and socialaction. According to Marxism, consciousness is ultimately a reflection of objects,which means that new production relations conflict with productive forces, leadingto social change. At the same time, consciousness has a critical leading role in socialpractice. In the late capitalist society, women entered the public sphere to participatein work, breaking the traditional concept that women should be at home, coupledwith the rise in porce rates and advances in fertility technology, thus leading to theraising of feminine consciousness.

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Chapter Ⅲ Theoretical Framework..........................19
3.1 Previous Study on Figure-Ground Theory....................................19
3.1.1 Previous Study on Figure-Ground theory Abroad...............19
3.1.2 Previous Study on Figure-Ground theory at Home ...........23
Chapter Ⅳ Results and Discussion of Discourse Analysis...................... 40
4.1 Realization of Figure and Ground in Feminine Consciousness inLi’s Lyric......................40
4.1.1 Realization of Figure and Ground in Simple Sentence....... 40
4.1.1.1 Figure and Ground in Spatial Sentence...................... 40
4.1.1.2 Figure and Ground in Existential Sentence................ 46
Chapter Ⅴ Conclusion............................. 65
5.1 Major Findings...................................65
5.2 Implications on Further Chinese Studies....................... 66
5.3 Limitations of the Study and Suggestions for Future Research... 67

Chapter Ⅳ Results and Discussion of Discourse Analysis

4.1 Realization of Figure and Ground in FeminineConsciousness in Li’s Lyric
This chapter copes with how Figure and Ground are realized in the constructionof feminine consciousness in Li’s lyrics and what kinds of feminine consciousness isexpressed in Li’ s lyrics. It first proceeds to investigate the realization of Figure andGround in the construction of feminine consciousness in Li’s lyrics. This discussionsare carried out at two levels mentioned above, including the simple sentence leveland complex sentence level. Then this chapter illustrates the feminine consciousnessin Li’s lyrics according to Figure-Ground theory. The analysis in this chapter isbased on Chinese texts, and the corresponding English translation, which refers toXu Yuanchong’s Selected poems of Li Qingzhao, is attached to each example.
4.1.1 Realization of Figure and Ground in Simple Sentence
This section intends to analyze the realization of Figure and Ground in theprocess of feminine-consciousness construction in Li’s lyrics according to the viewof Figure and Ground proposed by Talmy (2000:317). It gives an comprehensiveanalysis of the Figure and Ground expressed in simple sentence, including the spatialsentence, SVO structure and the existential sentence.
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Chapter Ⅴ Conclusion

5.1 Major Findings
The Figure-Ground theory holds that the "figure-ground separation principle" isnot only a basic cognitive principle of spatial space organization, but also a basiccognitive principle of the conceptual content of language organization. The Figurehas a complete structure, which refers to the focus of a certain cognitive concept orfocus; while the Ground is opposite to the figure, which refers to the fuzzy,undifferentiated part and plays a role in highlighting the Figure. Based on theFigure-Ground theory in the frame work of cognitive linguistics, this thesis discussesthe realization of Figure and Ground in the construction of feminine consciousnessin Li’s lyrics so as to explore the feminine consciousness expressed in Li’s lyrics.
At the level of simple sentence, the Figure-Ground in feminine consciousnessconstruction in Li’s lyrics is mainly illustrated by spatial sentence, existentialsentence and SVO structure. As for spatial sentence, the relation of Figure andGround is represented by topological orientations and projective orientations. Inexistential sentence, the relation of Figure and Ground is expressed by therelationship of the subject and location. For SVO structure, the subject is seen asFigure while the object serves as Ground. At the level of complex sentence, therealization of Figure and Ground in feminine consciousness construction in Li’slyrics is mainly expressed by temporal sentences and causal sentences. As fortemporal sentences, the earlier-occurring event is regarded as Ground and thelatter-occurring event Figure. In causal sentences, the causing event serves asGround while the resulting event is regarded as Figure.
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