Modern Chinese Compact Structures And Multi-dimensional Study

Contracted construction is a kind of colloquial syntax structure in modern Chinese, which is used often and has unique characteristics. Based on statistics of massive corpus, the paper uses various theories as constitution grammar, discourse grammar, concept integration and grammaticalization theory, studies comprehensively and systematically the syntactic, semantic, pragmatic and discourse functions of contracted construction under guidance of cognitive linguistics from multi-perspective, and expounds its generative mechanism,constructing and grammaticalization process.Firstly, concept of contracted construction is put forward from the nature of construction. Defined by standard of form and semantics and isolated from contracted structure, contracted construction category is established, and semantic features as [+non-event], [+lasting], [+virtual] is revealed.Secondly, syntax features of contracted construction, including chunk construction, categories of formative marks, framework mode, relation types of syntax and syntactic function distribution are defined. Formed by two chunks, contracted construction could be divided into three categories of marked, granted marked and hidden marked. The marked category consists of frame and vacancy and is divided into even and odd marked constructions. Even marked ones can be subdivided into re-presenting, antonymic and interlinking patterns. Framing patterns of contracted construction might be front-inserting, inserting, after-inserting and partly-inserting.Thirdly, interior semantic collocation relations of contracted constructions are analyzed. On the basis of study on substantial logical relations of surface, the two significances of the constructions as constructive meaning and constructive aspectual meaning are distinguished and constructive meaning of highlighted is discussed deeply. The interior semantic collocation is no longer substantial semantic relations of agent and patient, valence or logics; instead, the whole subjective meaning is highlighted.Contracted construction could be categorized semantically, from modality and quantity, into two sub-types, one shows subjective modality and the other shows subjective quantity.A whole semantic system of seven sub-categories is established. Interaction limitations of structure meaning and lexical meaning are also discussed.Fourthly, pragmatic motivation and textual functions of contracted construction are expounded. Driven by economical and informative principles of language, contracted construction is with functions of topic-choosing, focus-establishing, textual-connecting and boundary-limiting. Relations of contracted construction with its beforehand and follow-up structures are analyzed. Selectiveness of contracted construction to the discourse is inspected from perspectives of styles and subject.Moreover, the generative mechanism of contracted construction are explained in a cognitive way. An integrated view of cognitive semantics is established to explore the resources of construction meaning;meanwhile the degree of integration, its subjective level are summarized. First, highlighting and gestalt are used to analyze the origin of subjective meaning. Then metaphor, metonymy and integration of concepts are put into a frame to explain the working mechanisms. Concept integration is a mapping process of two imputing space into a third integrated one, after which new subjective modality will come into being. During the formation of contracted construction there are two integrations, that is source integration of constructive meaning and source integration of constructive aspectual meaning. The former is divided into reflected integration,integration of single-domain and dual-domain.Integration of single-domain includes monofocal type, metaphor blend and metonymy style. The latter consists of single-frame integration and integration of dual-domain idioms.Single-frame integration is showed through interaction of frame with lexical meaning while integration of dual-domain idioms is decided by integration of idiom with utterance space. The integration of constructive aspectual meaning is actual realization and derivative of abstract structure meaning in concrete context.They share the same prototype meaning.Last but not least, the paper studies constructing and grammaticalization process of continuously narrowing and evolving of contracted construction and its patterns and mechanisms. Contracted models and semantically-relative networks are set up and relations of contracted degree with degrees of verification, construction and marking and multi-level contracted rules are explored. Developed from common syntactic structures with transparent semantics to half-transparent contracted structure and then to non-transparent construction, contracted construction is forming a typical continuum from free to freezing.Constructing, grammaticalization, context and the frequency of use are closely related.During constructive process subjectivity and context relevance are strengthened and subjective significance are newly analyzed.