A Negation Of Modern Chinese Modal Verb "Neng"

This dissertation applies some theories and concepts of cognitive-functional grammar andsemantics to the analyses of the frequently occurred prototypical Chinese modal verb, "neng".This research exhaustively covers the grammatical features of "neng" from the perspective ofnegation to prescribe the roles of "neng" in modern Chinese. The dissertation is of theoretical andpractical values in revealing the grammatical meanings of "neng" in modern Chinese. This dissertation contains eight chapters with 150,000 characters. Chapter One explains the scope of this research, its theoretical background, research method,some hypotheses, and the scope of corpora. Chapter Two summarizes the up-to-date studies of "negation" and "modal verb". It definesand cut the problems into several groups, fully expounding the core questions of "negation" and"modal verb". Chapter Three analyzes the "Neg+neng+Vp" structure. I argue that "neng" do not accordwith negative oriented Vp in affirmative indicative sentence because of the meaning restriction ofneng. Moreover, I also argue that "ni+bu+neng+Vp" performs imperative speech act by analyzingits syntactic and semantic features. For the "one + quantity + noun + dou/ye +bu neng + Vp"construction, I maintain that it is not the sentences with complete negation, Instead, its negativefocus is on the dynamic/deontic modality meaning. I explore the "Mei+neng+Vp" construction inthe framework of Force Schema Theory. This construction structure is employed in telling theevents of real world (realis) rather than the speaker's subjective world. In this perspective, thisconstruction is regarded as "non-modality sentence". I insist that the structure have the meaningthat the subject wants to perform "V", however, some obstacles keep this goal from beingachieved. Chapter Four covers the "Neg + M + Neg + Vp" construction, namely, the "bu neng bu + Vp"& "bu neng mei +Vp (or Np)" constructions. Speakers' various choices of the syntactichierarchical division in specific contexts give rise to the differences of its intensities andinterpretations. In addition, there is a grammatical contrast between the "bu neng/bu + Vp" and the"bu neng bu/ + Vp". Moreover, this chapter covers the "bu + neng + mei(you)+ Vp1 + jiu + Vp2",focusing on the relationship between the event of "mei + Vp1" and that of "Vp2". Based on theanalyses of the construction "bu + neng + mei (you) + Vp1 + jiu + Vp2", it points out that theyconnote continuities of content and time of the two events. This chapter explicates the change ofthe representation of modal verbal semantic item with the shift of their subject reference and thetransfer of referential time. It points out that the interpretation of modal verb basically mesh wellwith "bu+ neng + mei(you)+ Vp1 + jiu + Vp2" after the analyses of the "bu + neng + mei(you)+ Np" construction. Chapter Five highlights the "M + Neg + Vp?" construction, i.e.,the positive oriented Vp andthe negative oriented Vp.Positive oriented Vp does not appear in the indicative "neng bu +Vp",rather, it appear only in rhetorical question "neng bu +Vp?". I maintain that "bu neng bu + Vp" isequal to "neng bu + Vp?",while the negative oriented Vp can appear in the indicative "neng bu +Vp" or rhetorical question "neng bu +Vp?". The construction, "bu neng bu + Vp", is equal to therhetorical question "neng bu + Vp?".The syntagmatic hierarchy of "bu neng bu+ Vp " is "bu nengbu/ Vp". This is the co-restriction of semantic feature(〔-self-control〕) of the verbal meaning and ivthat(being pressed to) of the "bu neng bu".The construction, "neng bu + adjectives?" is equal to"bu neng bu + adjectives".Generally, the syntactic hierachical division of "bu neng bu +adjectives" is "bu neng bu/ + adjectives".Modal verb "neng" of "bu neng bu/ + adjectives" isinterpreted as the epistemic modality (excep...