A metaforicidade dos phrasal verbs constituídos por up e down: uma investigação sob a ótica da semântica cognitiva

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the metaphor properties of Phrasal Verbs (PVs), based on cognitive semantic theories, especially the Conceptual Metaphor Theory, developed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). In addition, concerning the meaning of adverbs or prepositions that constitute PVs – which can be called particles –, contributions made by Rudzka-Ostyn (2003), who uses image schemas to represent PVs, and Lindner (1981), who takes into consideration Cognitive Grammar (LANGACKER, 1987) to analyze them, are considered. The up and down particles are the focus of this investigation. Regarding methodology, Corpus Linguistics is used, and the PVs are extracted from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). After selecting them, the relation between the PVs and Rudzka-Ostyn’s image schemas is verified, as well as how their senses express the image schemas proposed by Rudzka-Ostyn (2003); conceptual metaphors, especially the orientational ones, are identified, in accordance with Lakoff and Johnson (1980); and the mapping between conceptual domains is verified. The results point that the PVs are mostly methaphoric, and that its metaphor properties are strongly related to the meaning of the particles that constitute each verb-particle construction. In addition, it is hoped this research adds to the pedagogical proposal of Rudzka-Ostyn (2003), contributing to the teaching and learning of PVs.