Towards A Frame Analysis Of Activity Sememes' Definitions

The present research, with a definite sememe as its analyzing unit, integrates the meaning theories in both structuralist semantics and cognitive linguistics to analyze the characteristics of action sememes and their corresponding definition modes in dictionaries. Various quantitative and qualitative studies have been conducted for the purpose of finding out the recursive deficiencies of the present verb-defining performance in Chinese learner's dictionaries; and furthermore, a systemic defining model is tentatively proposed.The theoretical foundations of the present research go as follows: Meaning is a multi-faceted configuration with different layers; and accordingly it can be explored from different perspectives. The meanings studied by structuralist semanticists and cognitive semanticists aren't of the same nature. Structuralist semantics, viewing language system as a closed domain, acknowledges that the meaning of a sememe is determined by its paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations with other related sememes; by contrast, cognitive semanticists argue that linguistic competence is an inherent and indispensable part of cognition; and understanding the meaning of a sememe must be linked with its conceptual frame. Therefore, the meanings explored by the two schools are on different layers; and the two layers, termed as analytical-descriptive layer and cognitive-construal layer respectively in our research, are not absolutely contradictory and incompatible; furthermore, both of which have impact on the practice of dictionary-making. The process of word-defining goes through different layers vertically, and 3 relatively independent but still interconnected layers, i. e., cognitive-construal layer; analytical-descriptive layer and language-description layer are involved. The meaning corresponding to each of the three layers is cognitive meaning, linguistic meaning and dictionary meaning which are respectively the research orientation of cognitive semantics, structuralist semantics and lexicography.Corresponding with the 3 layers of meaning, a tri-layer model of frames, i.e., cognitive frame, linguistic frame and defining frame, is tentatively put forward here. The meaning analysis of each and every lexical unit is directly linked with a...