Study On Modern Chinese Referring Category

Reference are tied to noun prases. The study object of this dissertation is the referring function of NPs in modern chinese.we explore what linguistic forms of Chinese are used to designate sepecial individuals in sepecial evens and what psychological entities are activated and builded by these linguistic forms.In referring functions of NPs, the definiteness and indefiniteness is the heart of this problem.Linguistics home and abroad put forward many theories and methods, bue the differences still exsit.we analyse referring function of NPs combining with language environment within the framework of cognitive linguistics and lay a lot of emphasis on definiteness and indefiniteness.The theoretical fulcrum is Langacker's cognitive linguistics grammar.Except introduction, this article has eight chapters. Basic train of thought is follows:firstly, from the macroscopic perspective,we definite the concept of "referential/non-referential"," real denotation /fictional denotation"," generic/non-generic"," definiteness/indefiniteness" by analysising hierarchically.we explore the containing and overlapping relationship between the four groups to lay a groundwork for further discussing about " definiteness/indefiniteness" mainly. we analyse factors restricting "definiteness and indefiniteness, Interpret them from congnitive angle,list the forms of them.we discuss application of referring expressions.Chapter 1 provides a brief review of referring study home and abroad.we introduce research in linguistics and linguistic Philosophy abroad,comment on classification of Chinese reference category. Research in linguistics include traditional reference theories and the reference theories of formalistic linguistics and congnitive linguistics. Research in linguistic philosophy include reference theory of Frege,Description Theory,Historical Casual Theory and Intentional Reference Theory.We define basic referential concept in Chapter 2,interpret definiteness and indefiniteness from from various levels. Firstly, abased on intenton-extention dual conceptual structure of noun, referential and non-referential are differentiated. Secondly, real referent and fictional referent are differed in referential category in terms of whether what the NP denote are in the real word or not. Real referent refer to objective entity, fictional referent refer to psychological entity and linguistic entity, real referent and fictional referent both can be definite or indefinite. NPs could be divided into generic and non-generic, generic belongs to definiteness, non-generic belongs to indefiniteness.Chapter 3 explore the factors restricting definiteness and indefiniteness. Firstly, we draw a based level of semantic structure of Chinese NPs:(location (quantification (specification (type)))), nuclear level designate type,outer level designate instance. Nouns denoting kinds after being quantified achieved the leap from type to individual. Quantification can only presuppose individual,but do not draw a line between definiteness and indefiniteness. Location is a process of place a signifier in a correct context,the grounded signifier turns to a identified definite entity. Secondly, we investigate the correspondence between subject,object and definiteness,indefiniteness from syntax, analyse the influence of information structure and language environment from Pragmatic. Finally we list various reference phenomenons deviated from a standard beginning from study arthetypical meaning of Chinese bare nouns,discuss the reasons that complicated reference phenomenons bare nouns present to correspond front contents,find more influences on definiteness and indefiniteness.Chapter 4 interpretes definiteness and indefiniteness from the cognitive angle. The main point of view is Chinese definite NPs are the phrases reaching the highest cognitive salience internally—either the signifier's cognitive salience reaches the highest level in event semantic structure inself or speakers focus on it and using recognizable forms to code the entity externally. We think the indefiniteness is a course of building a new psychological entity in sperker's brains,it's psychological state is transitional and brings out the further entity. From the cognitive salience view,indefiniteness is approaching definiteness. Definiteness is the point that reaches the highest cognitive salience,indefiniteness is the region that is constantly approaching the definiteness. The modifier modified word structure indicating possing relation belongs to intermediate region between definiteness and indefiniteness, have complex referential properties.Chapter 5 analyses the forms of chinese definiteness. Firtly making use of western popular familiarity theory,inclusiveness theory,uniquenes theory,identifiability theory, we test for Chinese NPs and arrive a conclusion that the criterion of identifiability is the correct criterion for Chinese phenomenon of definiteness. we propose three ways to identify the signifier of the Chinese noun prases:identification through experiment,identification through drawing from memory,identification through uniqueness reasoning. Using these three ways as premise,we find out correspondly four forms of Chinese definteness. On whether using reasoning or not,we divide definite phrases into "direct definites" and "indirect definites" in chapter 6.Chapter 6 analyses the forms of chinese indefiniteness. After exploring the logic semantic and functional features of the qutifiers, we point out that it could presuppose existence and play important role in the transformation from type to instance. "num+cl.+n."exactly correspond with the semantic features of indefinite phrase,is the typical forms of Chinese indefinite phrases.we discuss the complexity of chinese quantity.Lastly,we divide indefiniteness into different levels. The use of referring form is based on contexts, it must related to subjective feeling,so study on the problem of reference is the great ways to explore humanities in languge.In the chapter 7,we discuss the explicit emotional elements in definite NPs, such as the selection between proper names and descriptions, investigate deeply the implicit feelings and tendentious angle in definite NPs,such as pragmatic connotation of demonstrative words, how the figures in novels first appearent.Chapter 8 is the concluding part,, consisting of three parts,, the major view of this study, key concepts and defects.