An Investigation Into Degree Category In Xiang Dialect

Differences in degree do exist in the objective world, so language, the tool to reflect the objective world, must have a correspondent form to describe them. Thus, degree category, one of most important categories in language, comes into being.Enlightened by semantic grammar theory, this dissertation sorts out different forms in Xiang dialect to describe degree, lists their semantic features and explores their pragmatic values, supplemented by reasonable explanations based on cognitive theories and markedness theory.In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the paper is constituted by 8 chapters:Introduction makes a research review of studies on degree category in Xiang dialect and a brief introduction to the dissertation's contents and significance, the methods employed and the theories adopted, and such investigation information as areas selected, material resources, and information of interviewers for pronunciation data.Chapter 1 defines the notion of degree category, summarizes its semantic connotation, components, classification and forms in modern Chinese, and constructs a form system of degree category in Xiang dialect with degree category in modern Chinese as the referent.Chapters 2-6 make a microscopic description of several significant forms of degree category in Xiang dialect.Chapter 2 discusses "XA-pattern" descriptive adjectives. It makes a list of "XA-pattern" descriptive adjectives in 6 representative areas in Xiang dialect, an analysis of their structure forms, semantic features, grammatical functions and pragmatic effects, and a comparison of "XA-pattern" adjectives in Xiang dialect and those in other Chinese dialects from such aspects as totals, varieties and grammatical functions.Chapters 3 probes into degree reduplication in Xiang dialect, mainly from its structure patterns, semantic features, grammatical functions, and pragmatic and cognitive factors.Chapter 4 investigates degree adverbials in Xiang dialect:feature analysis and classification, syntax analysis of "degree adverb+ headword", restriction on co-occurrence of degree adverbs and other forms to show degree, and a case study of groups of characteristic degree adverbs in Xiang dialect.Chapter 5 focuses on degree complement in Xiang dialect:firstly on its definition criteria, its semantic features and its pragmatic effects; secondly on marked degree complement and unmarked degree complement; and then on comparison both of marked and unmarked degree complement and of degree adverbials and degree complement in forms, semantic meanings and pragmatic functions.Chapter 6 researches degree negation in Xiang dialect. It makes a comparative analysis of "negative term + degree term + V" and "degree term+negative term+V" and of degree negation in Xiang dialect and that in mandarin Chinese. It further investigates high-degree negation patterns,such as "lian(连)bu(不)" structure" Qianshi(前世)(bu)(不)"structure, "Zai(崽)……"structure and"V bu(不)de(得)de(的)ku(苦)/V bu(不)de(得)ke(个)ku(苦)" structure and so on. It also probes into symmetry and asymmetry in affirmation and negation in Xiang dialect and form-meaning asymmetry.Chapter 7 analyses the restriction of degree category on grammar mainly from selection of components, regularity of grammatical structures and completeness of grammatical function, and the effect of it on pragmatic functions from intonations, attitudes and information transfer.Chapter 8 summarizes that degree category in Xiang dialect not only shares such generalities with degree category in mandarin Chinese as capacity, including subjectivity capacity and relativity capacity, vagueness capacity and rank capacity, and discretion capacity and continuum, and asymmetry of semantic category, including asymmetry of strength and weakness, asymmetry of implicit comparison and explicit comparison and asymmetry of affirmation and negation, but also boasts its distinctiveness in high frequency of "XA-patter", derogative degree complement and "lian(连)bu(不)"structure and in imbalance both in regional distribution and in development.Conclusion makes a condensation of the main contents of the whole dissertation. It also points out its originality as well as its weakness for further improvement.