The Frame-semantic Approach To Hierarchical Classification Of Speech Verbs In Chinese

Frame Semantics is a new paradigm in empirical semantics which emphasizes the continuities between language and experience, and provides a framework for representation of the results of that research. Based on Frame Semantics, the author describes the syntactic and semantic behavior of Chinese Speech Verbs in the communication domain.The author firstly constructs the Chinese Communication Frame, and defines its Frame Elements. The frame can be divided into two sub frames according to different directions of message conveying: Unidirectional Frame and Bidirectional Frame. And each of them can be next divided into sub frames based on the different"profile"of frame elements. For example, Unidirectional Frame consists of Statement Frame and Message-Strong-Conveying Frame, and Bidirectional Frame consists of Message-Normal-Conveying Frame and Message-Strong-Conveying. Statement Frame can be divided into Objective-Statement Frame and Subjective-Statement Frame. Message-Strong-Conveying Frame can be divided into Instruction Frame, Appraising Frame, Yes-or-No Frame, Telling Frame and Emotion-Conveying Frame.The author then designs a Five Layer Hierarchical Classification to describe Speech Verbs: Domain->Frame->Sub frames->Near-synonym Set->Lexical UnitThis paper aims to show that Frame Semantics is an approach to the comprehension and description of lexical words and grammatical structures. We can employ the findings from frames while we are compiling the entries of synonym in learner's dictionaries, which is useful for revealing all the connection and discrimination for synonym series.