The Cognitive Semantics of the Polysemy of the Basic Gustatory Term “Bitter” in English

一词多义是人类语言世界中的一种普遍现象。其中，味觉词的语义范围已经扩展到了其他感官体验和生活环境，形成了丰富的多义现象。尽管该现象普遍存在，但国内的研究尚处于起步阶段。本文采用认知识解理论分析“bitter”一词的多义现象及其词义衍生的认知过程。研究发现，英语味觉词的一词多义现象通过同侧显不同基体和同基体不同侧显两种方式实现，涉及味觉、听觉、视觉、触觉和心理感知等多个领域。Polysemy is a common phenomenon in human languages. Among polysemous words, gustatory terms have extended their semantic scope to include other sensory experiences and aspects of everyday life, resulting in rich and varied meanings. Although this phenomenon is widespread, research in China is still in its early stages. This paper adopts the framework of cognitive semantics to analyze the polysemy of the word “bitter” and the cognitive processes underlying its semantic extensions. The study finds that the polysemy of English gustatory terms is realized through two mechanisms: the same profile on different bases and different profiles on the same base. These mechanisms involve multiple domains, including taste, hearing, vision, touch, and psychological perception.