The Lexicalization Of The Word "X"

The disyllabic words Xyu lexicalized from the cross-layered structure verb/adjective+yu are mainly verbs. Besides, there are adverbs, prepositions and some multi-category words as well. The number is quite large. This paper describes the lexicalization process of verb chuyu, adverb guoyu, preposition jiyu and Prep-Conj jianyu in detail. Chuyu, guoyu, jiyu and jianyu were first used together in the pre-Qin period. Their initial form is verb+preposition cross-layered structure. During the long time of use, the lexicalization of Xyu has been completed under the comprehensive influence of speech, lexeme, syntax, linear order and pragmatic frequency.Chuyu completed lexicalization and became a verb in the Warring States Period. Because of the semantic features of the verb chu, the grammatical functions of the preposition yu suspend, Yu has a decategorization and incorporates into the verb. Chuyu became one word. With the semantic expansion of the sentence elements following chuyu, the use of chuyu becomes more and more mature. The lexicalization of guoyu is to become a verb firstly, and then further grammaticalized into an adverb of degree. Guoyu used as a verb firstly appeared in Han Dynasty and a degree adverb in the Six Dynasties. The formation of jianyu more or less went though the similar process. At first, Jianyu evolved into verb from the cross-layered structure, and then was grammaticalized into preposition and conjunction. It was in around the Tang Dynasty that the embryo of the preposition jianyu emerged, but the use of jianyu as a conjunction didn’t appear until the Qing Dynasty. The lexicalization of jiyu and jianyu experienced a relatively long time, especially jiyu, for its usage as a word in nature was not determined until the Republic of China. Although the time and process of lexicalization of each Xyu are not all the same, they all evolve from the cross-layered structure. And the motivation of lexicalization includes the influence of decategorization and preposition incorporation.The lexicalization mechanism of Xyu mainly includes the cognitive mechanism such as chunking, metaphor and reanalysis, the semantic loss mechanism and rhythm mechanism etc. The formation of Xyu have many conditions such as linear order, phonetic conditions, semantic conditions, syntactic conditions, pragmatical conditions etc. The lexicalization of Xyu bears the general characteristics of imbanlance, gradual change and long-term, co-existence etc.