A Cognitive Study On The Constructionalization Of Yu

The updating speed of closed word classes is much slower than that of open ones,thus its internal members have long existence.Therefore,closed word classes are ideal object for diachronic research.Function words belong to the closed word classes and are the main means of expressing grammatical relations and categories in Chinese.Yu is a typical classical Chinese function word and is abundant in its functional meanings and roles,such as working as a verb,noun,onomatopoeia,preposition,conjunction,auxiliary,suffix,and adjective,among which,its prepositional function has developed most extensively.Based on the theory of construction grammar and constructionalization,this study focuses on the classical Chinese function word yu.By adopting a diachronic,qualitative,and inductive and deductive combination research method,we aim to investigate the constructionalization processes of yu,describe its constructional changes and find out the motivations and mechanisms behind those changes.Our findings include: firstly,the constructions of yu is of hierarchy,which can be classified into four levels: schematic construction,sub-schematic constructions,individual micro-constructions,and constructs.The formation process of construction hierarchy of yu is its constructionalization process.Secondly,constructionalization of yu is recursive,and its direction is bottom-up.Thirdly,constructionalization of yu is the formation and the changes(further development)of its construction.The formation process of a construction is from pre-constructionalization constructional changes(Pre-Cxzn CCs)to constructionalization constructional changes(Cxzn CCs)and the development process of a construction is from Cxzn CCs to post-constructionalization constructional changes(Post-Cxzn CCs).Pre-constructionalization(Pre-Cxzn)usually involves both form and function change of a construction.Post-constructionalization(Post-Cxzn)involves form change or function change alone.Constructionalization(Cxzn)is the node of the formation of new construction.Fourthly,grammatical constructionalization of yu would feed its lexical constructionalization.Fifthly,in the constructionalization of yu,both the schematicity and productivity of constructions of yu increase while their compositionality decreases.Finally,motivations for the constructional changes include syntactic,semantic-pragmatic,and host-class expansion,and constructional and contextual coercion.Mechanisms for them are mainly analogization,neo-analysis,relational links,metaphor and metonymy.