A Cognitive Grounding Approach To The Modifiers Of Mandarin Chinese Nouns:Function And Shifting

The present dissertation concerns itself with a cognitive grounding approach to the modifiers of Mandarin Chinese nouns, focusing on the function and shifting. The modifiers of Mandarin Chinese nouns have long been functionally categorized within the binary framework of "restrictive vs. descriptive" or "restrictive vs. non-restrictive". After decades of discussions, however, the existing models still remain controversial in both theoretical consistency and language phenomenon explanations. Meanwhile, Mandarin Chinese is typologically characterized by modifier shifting, which refers to the phenomenon that a linguistic expression remains grammatically acceptable with the modifiers of nouns being shifted to different positions. A case in point is that a determiner-classifier phrase can either precede or follow a relative clause when they co-occur before a noun. With regard to this phenomenon of pre-nominal modifier shifting, the previous studies have seldom given all the modifier participants an equal examination to discuss how the modifier participant shifting correlates to the functions of the participants themselves, and what motivates the correlation. In addition, the modifier shifting also occurs between pre- and post-nominal modifiers, which typically find expression in numeral-classifier phrases. Little literature has been found at the synchronic level of Mandarin Chinese that systematically discusses the noun phrases of this type in terms of their semantic features, the corresponding morphosyntactic representations and the cognitive motivations.Such contemporary linguistic theories as Cognitive Grammar play indispensable roles in the development of Chinese grammar studies. Grounding theory gives full expression to the key theses representing Cognitive Grammar. A nominal grounding is in form a process from a bare noun to a full nominal. Every language has its own grounding system, and very few studies have ever touched upon the Chinese grounding system. Based on the description of the typological characteristics of Chinese nominal grounding, therefore, this dissertation attempts to approach the controversies and questions regarding the modifiers of Mandarin Chinese nouns. The dissertation is specifically devoted to the following questions:(1) What causes the controversies in the studies on the modifiers of Mandarin Chinese nouns? How does the grounding perspective see the functions of the modifiers and their relations? What are the cognitive motivations of this new perspective? (2) How does the pre-nominal modifier shifting correlate to the functions of the modifiers themselves? What are the cognitive motivations of the correlation? (3) What are the semantic features and morphosyntactic representations of Mandarin Chinese noun phrases which involve the pre- and post-modifier shifting? What are the cognitive motivations?This dissertation identifies itself as an explanation-oriented qualitative study, and therefore the non-closed data are collected. The sources include:(1) observation data from the corpus of CCL (Centre for Chinese Linguistics, PKU), the literature of other scholars, and few data the author collected from everyday life; (2) introspection which takes up a small percentage, and the elicited tests are conducted to ensure the data reliability. The conclusions of this dissertation can be summarized as follows.First, the binary models of "restrictive vs. descriptive" and "restrictive vs. non-restrictive" are chiefly responsible for the controversies concerning the studies on the modifiers of Mandarin Chinese nouns. From the grounding perspective, we define both restrictiveness and descriptiveness as strategies interlocutors take to designate and identify the intended target, the latter functioning via characterization of the intended target. It is argued that non-restrictiveness falls into the category of descriptiveness. This dissertation further proposes a new model of "restrictiveness including descriptiveness". Its cognitive motivations are that the modifiers of Mandarin Chinese nouns are fundamentally the nominal strategies and predictions, and that those controversial language phenomena within the existing models can be explained within this new model.Second, as far as the correlation of the pre-nominal modifier shifting to the grounding function of the modifiers themselves is concerned, it is not a grounded-ungrounded distinction, but a shifting between strong grounding and weak grounding. To be more specific, the farther a modifier stands from the head noun, the stronger its grounding function is. It can therefore be concluded that the grounding hierarchy of the modifiers of Mandarin Chinese nouns exhibits a process of dynamic selection. For instance, when a determiner-classifier phrase precedes a relative clause, it carries the strong grounding function with the clause playing the role of weak grounding, and when it follows a relative clause, it functions as the weak grounding modifier, the strong grounding function achieved by the clause. This correlation is cognitively motivated both by the cognitive process of nominal grounding and by the shifting of grounding dominion triggers.Third, the Mandarin Chinese noun phrases with pre- and post-modifiers being shifted carry the semantic features of CATEGORIZATION and EVALUATION respectively when there is a closed numeral slot. When there is an open numeral slot, the noun phrases of this type express the semantic features of QUANTITY DOMINION and QUANTITY PREDICTION respectively. The EVALUATION noun phrases are morphologically and syntactically represented as the following:(1) the head noun itself expresses EVALUATION, or has the modifiers of unbounded adjectives conveying the meaning of evaluation; (2) the classifier slot is typically filled with individual classifiers; (3) the syntactic roles include the predicative after exclusive markers, attributive and inner subject. The noun phrases with QUANTITY PREDICTION have the following morphological and syntactic representations:(1) the numerals can be both precise and approximate; (2) the numerals are mostly followed by measure words; (3) the head noun carries neither evaluation nor metaphorical and metonymic meanings; (4) the noun phrases can play the syntactic roles of object and topic, and they often appear in parallel structures. The semantic features and their morphosyntactic representations are cognitively motivated by different nominal grounding manners and their interactions.The present research boasts the following two major contributions. First, it is the first grounding-based reflection upon the existing frameworks for studies on the modifiers of Mandarin Chinese nouns. The proposed model of "restrictiveness including descriptiveness" provides explanations to those controversial language phenomena and questions concerned, and accordingly represents a new approach or a bold attempt to the modifier studies on Mandarin Chinese nouns. Second, it explores the typological characteristics of Chinese nominal grounding, and proposes the following concepts or terms:grounding element compatibility, dynamic selection, grounding element shifting, grounding hierarchy, strong grounding, weak grounding, grounding dominion, grounding dominion triggers, and grounding dominion trigger shfting, which shed some light on the typological development of grounding theory.