【论文关键词】关联理论 隐喻 隐喻理解 非字面语言
【论文摘要】文章借助关联理论的明示-推理交际模式，从词汇型隐喻、句子型隐喻、超句子型隐喻三个层次的多方面来具体阐释隐喻理解，借以希望对英语学习者理解非字面语言有所裨益。
一、引言
高职院校学生的英语语用能力普遍不强，尤其是在理解隐喻等非字面语言形式上表现得力不从心。Sperber 和Wilson提出的关联理论是有关交际的理论，阐释了话语理解过程，但未涉及隐喻的理解。本文用关联理论来阐释隐喻理解，期望能对理解非字面表达带来一定的启发。
从认知功能看，明喻、借喻与隐喻都是认知方式，因而本文把它们都作为隐喻表达进行分析。
二、隐喻的理解
以下从三个层次具体阐述如何借助关联理论来理解隐喻。
1、词汇型隐喻
此类隐喻的喻体由词或词组充当，根据喻体有无修饰词分为两类。修饰词可缩小喻体的语域，减少听者为寻找语境假设与话语的最佳关联而付出的努力。
Beauty is summer fruit, and for the most part it makes a dissolute youth, and an age a little out of countenance……
喻体fruit为读者提供了认知环境。修饰词summer加强了fruit的含义，把认知语境缩小为 Fruit is not easy to store in summer; Fruit in summer is fresh. 并作为进一步推理的语境假设。明示中的youth和age暗含时间的流逝，与语境假设fruit is not easy to store.具有最佳关联，进而推理出Beauty does not last long.
喻体无修饰词的词汇型隐喻也可借助这一模式来理解。
He’d been a pig about money.
听者会在认知语境中构建假设：The pig is lazy; The pig is greedy……句中的money使读者获得语境信息It is about his attitude to money.，结合之前的语境假设作为推理前提，进而得出语境暗含He is greedy for money.
2、句子型隐喻
此类隐喻是指整个句子为隐喻表达。
I bet John will spend all his money in a few days, because the money burns a hole in his pocket.
前句的信息使读者获得语境假设: John does not live a frugal life. 若把隐喻表达直译为“钱在他口袋里烧了一个洞”会让人费解。听者需在之前的语境假设上进行推理，可获得John’s pocket can not hold money. 进而推出暗含意义John could not save money.
此类隐喻中，习语、谚语出现的频率较高，常被用来描述相关情形。由于其意义是约定俗成的，我们很少会注意到这些隐喻用法。其意义的规约性也增加了理解的难度。
John hasn’t got a mind of his own on any matter of importance; he just goes with the tide. 在句中新信息相关性的作用下，可得出语境假设：
a. John does not decide important matters by himself.
b. The tide has more power to force people to follow.
读者会在新信息go with与语境假设的关联中获得信息意图John just follows other people. 取得语境效果John is easily influenced by others.
3、超句子型隐喻
说者会用整个句群作为一个隐喻来传达交际意图，此类句群即为超句子型隐喻。例如：
Some dogs found the skin of a lion and began to tear it to pieces with their teeth. A fox, seeing them, said “If this lion were alive, you would soon find out that the claws were stronger than your teeth.”
