A Cognitive Functional Model Of Causation Clauses

Motivated by Neurocognitive Linguistics and with reference to Functional Grammar, Frame Semantics, Force Dynamic Theory and Construction Grammar, this thesis aims at building up a cognitive functional model of causation clauses. The model is a semiotic relational one formulating and interpreting the semiotic relationship between content and expression of causation clauses.This thesis follows three steps of exploration, namely analysis, catalysis and testing. Analysis means to decompose a structure into smallest semantic or grammatical units, by which we find the causation frame contains not only causation structure but also space structure and action structure. Furthermore, the causation frame can be divided into three causative situations according to different semantic relationships force-dynamically between the causer and the caused.Catalysis is to combine the analyzed results of the first step into a model to express the structural relationships on the conceptual-semantic stratum and the grammatical stratum and the realizational process between the two strata. The model is demonstrated and represented by abstract graphs. The constructed model is a relational network which has the neurological plausibility and the operational plausibility.The last step is testing. Computer programs are employed to simulate the relational network constructed in the second step and test whether it is workable. The testing result shows that the input and the output of the model are compatible with linguistic phenomena. Therefore, the operational validity of the model is guaranteed.The thesis studies causation clauses from the perspective of Neurocognitive Linguistics. It not only provides a new view for research in the field of causation but also makes a contribution to the construction of the linguistic system in the brain.