A Study On The Pre-frame Structure Of "you" And "no/no" In Modern Chinese

Based on theories of cognitive construction grammar,conceptual integration,subjectivity and subjectivisation,and the usage-based view of language,this thesis studies the four-character pre-frame construction with "you(有)" and "wu /mei(无/没)" in Modern Chinese as fixed terms.From the perspectives of form composition,semantic integration hierarchy,cognitive psychology and pragmatic motivation,seven constructions of "you(有)X you(有)Y" "wu(无)X wu(无)Y" "mei(没)X mei(没)Y" "you(有)X wu(无)Y" "you(有)X mei(没)Y" " you(有)X wu(无)X" and "you(有)X mei(没)X" are studied.The thesis consists of the following eight chapters:The first chapter is the basic part of this thesis,which mainly introduces the research object of the thesis,the research significance,the theoretical basis,the research methods,the corpus provenance,and possible innovations.The research status of Chinese four-character structures and frame constructions are also reviewed and sorted out.The second chapter defines the pre-frame construction,summarizes the characteristics and classification of frame construction,and expounds the concept and analytical method of this topic.According to the types of semantic relations between the preceding and the following items,we divide the seven constructions into three types: parallel pattern,opposite pattern with different embedded components and opposite pattern with the same embedded components.The third chapter is to study the parallel pattern of pre-frame construction,including the constant component,the variable component,the semantic relations of the embedded components and the rules of word order arrangement of the three constructions "you(有)X you(有)Y" "wu(无)X wu(无)Y" and "mei(没)X mei(没)Y".It summarizes the semantic integration hierarchy of the general constructs and analyzes the pragmatic drivers and pragmatic values of each construction.The three constructions of the parallel pattern have many commonalities in the grammatical properties,semantic relations,word order of variable components.However,the meanings of them can often be found different as the frames formed by the constant terms are usually different due to the use of affirmation or negation.Moreover,the different frequencies of them being used lead to the difference on their levels of semantic integration hierarchy.Chapter four makes a comprehensive analysis of the two constructions "you(有)X wu(无)Y" "you(有)X mei(没)Y" of the opposite patterns of pre-frame constructions with different embedded components.Opposite pattern refers to the frame construction formed by the juxtaposition of positive forms and negative forms.As "you(有)" and " wu/mei(无/没)" are opposite in meaning,an adversative relation is formed in both of the constructions "you(有)X wu(无)Y" and "you(有)X mei(没)Y".This adversative relation contains some presupposition,that is,there should be something but actually there is not,which is a reflection of non-idealized possession and abnormal existence.Therefore,the construction meaning of the opposition pattern can be summarized as: a speaker’s possession of something non-idealized and even contrary to his/her expectations,or a speaker’s emphasis of his/her evaluation of an abnormal existence.The difference between the two constructions comes from the difference of their second constant items—negative words "wu(无)" and "mei(没)",which differ in frequency of use,embedded component,stylistic color and pragmatic function.The fifth chapter is about another opposite pattern of the frame construction with "you(有)" and "wu/mei(无/没)" as fixed terms,to which " you(有)X wu(无)X" and " you(有)X mei(没)X" belong.Though this type of construction is also made up of two contradictory parts,one in positive form and the other negative,the embedded components in the two parts are the same.A polar opposition between "you(有)X" and " wu/mei(无/没)X" is thus formed as they represent possession or absence of the same thing or state.Two characteristics are shown in the two constructions: one is that they don’t make sense without a context;the other is that the members of each integration level are not fixed in the construction,which means that the semantic integration level of each construction is not fixed.The two constructions have a great deal in common due to the fact that their constituents are only one word different.Its difference is mainly embodied in the stylistic difference brought about by the difference between "wu(无)" and "mei(没)".The sixth chapter summarizes the characteristics of the "you(有)" and "wu /mei(无/没)" frame constructions.First of all,each construction has the correlation of embedded components and the semantics increment of construction: the components that are not semantically related cannot be put into the grammatical slot of the frame,and the semantics increment of construction is reflected in three aspects: highlighting the typical,deepening the degree and expressing the subjectivity of evaluation;the seven constructions all have the integrity and discreteness,which are closely related to the semantic integration hierarchy of the construction.The construction with higher level of semantic integration shows more integrity,while the one with lower level of semantic integration shows more discreteness.The syntactic regularity is that the morpheme has the status of a word after entering the construction;secondly,the combination of the construction can break through the general syntactic restrictions.In addition,the grammatical function of the construction has been alienated from predication to modification.Chapter seven discusses the productivity of the "you(有)" and "wu / mei(无/没)" frame constructions.Productivity refers to the ability to instantiate graphical construction,that is,the conditions and constraints of instantiation.Productivity is first related to construction coercion,which has archetypal nature.The formation of non-archetypal construction is the result of the expansion of the relationship between the form and meaning of archetypal construction,and it is the change of the original grammatical or semantic features of the constituent under the coercion of construction,so as to reach agreement with the construction.As the counterpart of form and meaning,construction begins to obtain its meaning through the accumulation of time and the continuous use of native speakers.The type frequency and token frequency also have impact on the productivity of construction.The eighth chapter is the conclusion of this thesis,which mainly summarizes the research discussed above,draws the conclusion and reveals the innovation of this thesis.The insufficiencies of the study,the possible direction and solutions for further research are also covered in this chapter.