A Comparative Study Of English And Chinese Subjective Motion Expressions

In a subjective motion expression (SME), a motion verb is used to describe an inherently static scene. Subjective motion expressions in languages all around the world not only share properties, but also exhibit singularities. The topmost task of the present dissertation is to describe and explain the similarities and differences between English and Chinese subjective motion expressions. Taking SMEs in English and Chinese as the target of comparison and making use of large databases, the dissertation aims to find out the characteristics that these two languages might exhibit in subjective motion construal. It also endeavors to offer reasonable explanations to possible findings, drawing on ideas from Cognitive Linguistics and typology of lexicalization. The comparative work is carried out according to the agenda of’three aspects and two steps.’Based on the cognitive analysis of motion event, the dissertation takes Figure, Ground, Path, and Manner as the constants and compares the way English and Chinese SMEs code these conceptual elements. When working with each aspect, two large samples of English and Chinese SMEs are analyzed thoroughly first. Then, a method of comparative translation is adopted in order to uncover more hidden features by examining how Chinese translators handle English SMEs. The first three chapters set the stage for upcoming comparative work by introducing the overall framework, reviewing previous studies and discussing some critical issues unsolved in the literature. Chapter Four to Six constitute the fundamental work of description and explanation. Chapter Six summarizes the study and suggests further research. The main finding of the dissertation is that there are both similarities and differences between English and Chinese SMEs. The similarities reside in the types of Figure in subjective motion construal, Path condition, and Manner condition. The Figures in English and Chinese subjective motion construal demonstrate similar conceptual and geometric features and distributive patterns. Both English and Chinese SMEs are subject to Path condition, with path information obligatory in the language surface. Both English and Chinese SMEs are subject to Manner condition, mainly using path verbs to code subjective motion. The differences between English and Chinese SMEs are reflected in the way path and manner information is treated in subjective motion construal. English SMEs pay more attention to path details than Chinese SMEs, as reflected in the occurrence of more ground elements per verb and more segments per motion trajectory. Manner information is more salient in English SMEs than in Chinese SMEs. In the former, manner information shows up at a higher frequency and in a wider range. The similarities and differences between English and Chinese SMEs not only pertain to cognitive mechanisms, but also to language structures. The comparison of SMEs in English and Chinese would enrich our current understandings of this phenomenon and leads to new territory in English-Chinese comparative research. The findings of the present study would also be useful to translation and second language acquisition.