Abstract:

Due attention has yet to be paid from the research community to the role and function played by metaphors and metonymies in place names. Informed by the theory of conceptual metaphor and metonymy, the present study takes advantage of both case study and statistical analysis to delve into these linguistic phenomena involved in the generic terms of Hong Kong places names, revealing the cognitive mechanisms and underlying principles about their involvement in the formation of the generic terms and bringing to light two primary approaches to naming, namely, metonymical mapping for human geographic entities based on contiguity of objects, with geographic environment as the source domain of the conceptual mapping, and metaphorical mapping for natural geographical entities based on similarity of objects, with human body or geographic environment as the source domain. This study not only deepens our understanding of Hong Kong place names from the perspectives of cognitive linguistics and terminology, but also expands the scope of application of the theory of conceptual metaphor and metonymy, bringing in a new dimension of research on naming and term generation.

Key words: Hong Kong toponyms, generic terms of place names, cognitive terminology, metaphor, metonymy, conceptual mapping