| Based on our observation of actual instances, this dissertation attempts to investigate the English delexical structure within the framework of cognitive linguistics, including its syntactic actions and categorical features, its cognitive motivation and constructional property so as to arrive at a scientific and systematic account. This dissertation is designed to set the following five objectives straight:(1) the semantic characteristics of the English delexical verb;(2) the semantic characteristics of the eventive noun;(3) the cognitive basis and embodied basis on which the English delexical structure is formed;(4) the constructional meaning of the English delexical structure;(5) the constructional function of the English delexical structure.The exploration of the English delexical structure is time-honored and the research on it now is in the ascendant. While reviewing the contributions made by researchers from different perspectives in their interpretation of delexical structures, we find that there exist some difficulties and disadvantages in the previous studies as restricted by the methods and theories they have applied. Cognitive linguistics, as a new paradigm, may provide a more reasonable account of English delexical structures.This dissertation intends to offer a systematic interpretation of the English delexical structure within the framework of cognitive linguistics. Cognitive linguistics assumes that language is a part of cognition and it is governed by the ways of people's views. If we want to present an adequate explanation we have to investigate people's cognitive laws. Cognitive linguistics does not only try to describe linguistic phenomena, but also attempts to apply itself to theoretical explanation, the purpose of which is to unearth the cognitive laws behind linguistic facts.Taking our general cognitive abilities and cognitive strategies into consideration, cognitive linguistics can give an explicit account of minute semantic differentiation and cognitive mechanism of syntactic constructions. This research is designed to expound the semantic properties and cognitive motivation of English delexical structures on the basis of these abilities and strategies. More specifically, the fundamental questions to be solved are as follows.Firstly, what are the cognitive basis and embodied basis on which the English delexical structure is constructed? How is this structure conceptualized? The essence is to unearth the psychological reality of these structures, namely their cognitive motivation.Secondly, the major constituents of the English delexical structure are composed of the English delexical verb and the eventive noun. As for these two elements, an inevitable question to be handled is: what is the similarity and dissimilarity between delexical verbs and lexical verbs? What are the semantic attributes and syntactic attributes of delexical verbs? A similar but somewhat more involved question lies in the similarity and dissimilarity between the eventive noun and the common noun. Furthermore what is its link with the parent verb?Thirdly, can the English delexical structure be viewed as a construction? If so what is its semantic traits in light of the definition of construction as a form-meaning pairing?Fourthly, given that construction is defined not only as a form-meaning pairing but also as a form-function pairing, another question has to be addressed: what pragmatic or discourse function can this structure serve? With respect to the basis on which the English delexical structure is established, its cognitive basis lies in three aspects. Firstly one crucial drive for the formation of delexical structures is the attraction of the prototypical transitivity structure, behind which exists the pursuit of cognitive salience. In accordance with their own cognitive models, conceptualizers observe the objective physical world and then reorganize the corresponding conceptual schema in their own experiential worlds so as to achieve specified cognitive projection. It is on this ground that the delexical structure is constructed. It must be admitted, however, that semantically this structure is decategorized and reveals low transitivity. Secondly construal also plays a key role. The difference between delexical structures and simple structures relates not only to the objective physical world but also to the specific fashions of conceptualizers'construal. As far as delexical structures are concerned, there are four dimensions (specificity, prominence, mental scanning and reification) which can give a reasonable account of its cognitive basis. More particularly the role of these dimensions can be elaborated as follows: (1) the delexical structure works as a syntactic tool for specificity and can render the scene it describes more specific, detailed and complex; (2) the conversion from the parent verb to the eventive noun originates from shifting prominence within the same base; (3) the eventive noun results from a summary or holistic scanning of the distinctive states of an action process, the different positions of which are projected as a holistic picture and rendered a salient status in a higher conceptual level, in other words, the whole scene is processed as a gestalt; (4) conceptual reification reflects conceptual alternativity by coding activity (in the time domain) as abstract object (in the space domain). In a nutshell, the delexical structure highlights a particular construal imposed by conceptualizers and exhibits a specific way to depict the physical world. Thirdly the emergence and frequent use of the delexical structure conforms to the requirement of cognitive economy. As a product of adaptive evolution, its cognitive economy is embodied in four facets: approach to the prototypical transitivity structure, information processing, metaphor of nominalization and analogy based on cognitive schema. The initiative force for the idiomatization of delexical structures lies in the expressive economy realized by the prototypical transitivity structure. From the perspective of nominalization metaphor, the eventive noun can not only convey process meaning but also serve as a participant, thus making it more informative than a corresponding parent verb; in this way the same cognitive content gains a much higher expressive efficiency and then two-fold economy of cognition and expression is accomplished.In addition to the cognitive basis, the English delexical structure also witnesses strong embodied basis, which is demonstrated in two sides: object image schema built on embodied thinking and metaphorical projection grounded on imaginative thinking. To put it another way delexical structures emerge by virtue of metaphorical projection under the direction of object image schema.Notably both the English delexical verb and the eventive noun reveal salient semantic characteristics. As for the delexical verb, its semantic features are demonstrated in three aspects: semantic bleaching, auxiliation and decategorization. In the evolutionary process from the lexical to the delexical verb, the semantic change unfolding in the delexical verb is well motivated and restricted by three elements: usage frequency, usage environment and pragmatic inference. In the grammaticalization process the combination of the delexical verb and the eventive noun shows a vivid chunking trend. On the other hand the eventive noun foregrounds five semantic features: non-prototypicality, quantitativeness, boundedness, markedness and low categoriality. What is more important is that some of these features (namely non-prototypicality, V–to-N conversion and boundedness) are endowed with distinct embodied basis. Moreover in the conversion from the lexical to the delexical verb some syntactic behaviors of the delexical verb lag behind its semantic change, thus resulting in the following phenomenon: the delexical verb can be roughly regarded as a semi-auxiliary according to semantic standard whereas it can be viewed as a general lexical verb according to syntactic standard. In this light the recategorization reflected by the delexical verb can be summarized as"semantic change before syntactic behavior".As far as the constructional property of the English delexical structure is concerned, this structure is an epitome of the constructional schema [VDeverbal + NPEventive], where the variable"VDeverbal"is almost close (consisting mainly of such verbs as have, take, give and do) while elements represented by"NPEventive"are open. It should be noted that the syntactic attributes and semantic attributes are linked directly to this construction. Moreover the relation between this schema and the delexical structure in use is one of schema to instance. Deeply entrenched in our mind, this schema can provide a conceptual framework, benefit our organization and arrangement of language structures and assist us in the expression of language structure. This dissertation is mainly devoted to the exploration of the constructional meaning expressed by the typical delexical structures introduced by three delexical verbs: have, take and give. To a great degree whether an eventive noun can occur in one or more delexical structures is subject not only to its meaning but also to its agreement with the constructional meaning of the whole structure. In addition the delexical structure is defined as idiomatized construction and may be viewed as"familiar pieces familiarly arranged".When it comes to the constructional function of the English delexical structure, this structure performs a scaffolding role and supplies a constructional framework for the realization of the following functions: modification, focusing, politeness, bounding, and plexity-setting. To begin with this structure, from the perspective of modification, presents a potential position for the addition of modifiers, thus facilitating the creation of troublesome sentences. Secondly on the side of focusing, this structure acts as a syntactic strategy for the speaker to put focus on event and can be perceived as an ostensive with explicit pragmatic motive. Thirdly from the angle of politeness this structure can play the role of minimizing quantity of an activity and takes the role of a fuzziness-displaying device. Fourthly after the unbounded verb's entrance into the delexical structure by conversion, this structure can impose a boundary on an activity process through a determiner which delimits the quantity of the activity realized by the eventive noun. As a result the activity will acquire an inherent endpoint and become bounded or telic, which also makes the whole delexical structure bounded. Fifthly in light of plexity-setting this structure serves as a syntactic device which can change the plexity of an activity, since the nominalization of an event can recategorize an activity into a classifiable entity. In this regard the delexical structure comes into play in two aspects: assigning of physical quantity by the recategorization of an activity as a'thing'; excerpting of a unit from a multiplex activity.Therefore the English delexical structure is becoming a conventionalized formulistic model. In addition to the expression of eventive meaning this structure can also deliver functional messages. It is in this respect that this structure is referred to as an"idiom with pragmatic elements". In a nutshell functional factors are critical in the explanation of delexical structures. It must be admitted, however, that these factors evolve and develop in the long history of the delexical structure.In a word the contribution of this dissertation is as follows: it is an in-depth study of the English delexical structure from the angle of cognitive linguistics. This is a brand new research for this structure. This dissertation uncovers the cognitive basis and embodied basis on which this structure is built, elucidates the semantic characteristics of the English delexical verb and the eventive noun and clears up the constructional meaning and constructional function of this structure. It is fair to say that this dissertation enriches the study of the English delexical structure.At the same time, this dissertation may also have some shortcomings, which are shown in two aspects. First of all a larger corpus consisting of the English delexical structure is badly needed. In contrast with theoretical discussion on the basis of a small sample of instances, future research is supposed to be conducted on a much wider analysis of data. In the second place since cognitive linguistics is not ripe, it is bound to have inaccuracy and arbitrariness in its interpretation of this structure. It is unavoidable as to how to give an accurate account of the English delexical structure by means of a unified general cognitive principle.
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