A Cognitive Interpretation of Chinese Neologism Foxi

Abstract

More and more neologisms are created with the change of world situation and the development of economy. The creation of neologisms is the result of human cognition. The paper tries to interpret Chinese neologism foxi (Buddha-like) from three perspectives of cognitive linguistics: conceptual metaphor, conceptual blending and prototype theory. This cognitive interpretation will help language learners to have a better understanding of the cognitive mechanisms of neologisms.