On Language Universals in the Light of Cognition of Metaphor

Cognitive linguists argue that metaphor is not only a phenomenon of language, but also a tool for cognition and thinking. The author advocates that language universals may be studied from the perspective of metaphor. This paper mainly discloses the language universals existing in English and Chinese languages by addressing the following three questions: 1) Is abstract concept in Chinese achieved via metaphor in the same way as that in English in terms of orientational metaphor, ontological metaphor and structural metaphor ? Do language universals of conceptual system exist in both English and Chinese ? 2) How is Chinese similar to English in the aspect of iconicity in syntax ? 3) How does metaphor play a key role in the child's acquisition of concepts? By comparison of English with Chinese in terms of metaphor, my conclusion is as follows: Metaphor is the mechanism of understanding abstract concepts, organizing sentences, acquiring concepts. At the same time this argument supports the hypothesis that it is a feasible way to unveil language universals from the perspective of cognition of metaphor.