A Study Of The Polysemy Of Chinese Directional Verbs

Chinese directional verbs belong to the closed class, which is composed of such eleven words as lai, qu, shang, xia, jin, chu, qi, guo, dao, hui, kai. As a word class with various senses, Chinese directional verbs can express many other concepts as well as the concept of direction or path. Directional verbs have been a research focus for the Chinese Linguists for a long time. But due to the structural linguistic approaches they applied, no systematic investigation has been done in the polysemy structure of directional verbs. This dissertation systematically analyzes the polysemy structure of these eleven Chinese directional verbs and makes a contrast with their related English words.Firstly, in this dissertation, we put forward LCCM (Lexical Concepts and Cognitive Models Approach) to improve the principled polysemy approach proposed by Evans.With a survey of earlier polysemy approaches of cognitive linguistics, we classify them into conceptual metaphor approach, semantic parameter approach, and principled polysemy approach, and present and evaluate respectively each of them. Combining the experiential correlation and perceptual resemblance principle proposed by Grady with Traugott's semantic change theory, principled polysemy approach is the most applicable approach to the explication of the motives of sense derivation from the perspectives of experiential basis and pragmatic inference. However, we discover that there are still limitations when this approach is applied to the study of English prepositions. The limitations are as follows:?it does not illustrate the reason why the semantic formation of prepositions is based on experiential correlation rather than perceptual resemblance or the so-called adjacent relation in the formation of conceptual metonymy;?it is inconsistent in defining the functional experience which has experiential correlation with spatial experience;?it does not explain the universality of English prepositions and the symmetry between adversative prepositions in sense derivation.Conducted by the theory of lexical concepts and cognitive models of proposed by Evans and the Invited Inferencing Theory of Semantic Change newly proposed by Traugott & Dasher, we try to improve the principled polysemy approach, and bring forward a new polysemy approach, which is called LCCM approch. The basic hypotheses of LCCM approach go as follows:(1) The experiential bases of polysemy are the relationship between the different experiential compositions of basic cognitive model containing basic lexical concept, the relationship between experiential compositions and lexical concept, and the experiential co-occurrence relationship between basic cognitive model and other functional cognitive models.(2) The key to the forming of a new sense is whether the functional experience of functional experiential cognitive model or some experiential composition of basic cognitive model is profiled. Only when its composition is profiled in a specific context comes a new pragmatic meaning of the word into being.(3) The pragmatic inference appears over and over again in similar contexts and transfers into conventionalized code meaning. Based on the interaction of lexical concept and cognitive model, the new code meaning can break away from the original bridging context and be used in a new context.Secondly, we make a fairly systematic study of the semantic structure of Chinese directional verbs'by using LCCM approach, and a contrast between Chinese and English when necessary.Since the basic sense of a polysemic word is the axis of the semantic structure, and all the other senses are derived from it directly or indirectly, before analyzing the semantic structure of Chinese directional verbs, we investigate the basic meaning of directional verbs from the two perspectives of lexicalization and conceptualization. We examine the lexical characteristics of directional verbs in two aspects:the contrast between English and Chinese and the contrast between directional verbs and other path verbs, and also explore the causes for the formation of the eleven different directional concepts from the two angles of spatial reference frame and prominence. Based on the difference of lexicalized models of path concept between English and Chinese, the lexicalized forms of English path concept can be both path verbs and prepositions. Therefore, the contrastive target of Chinese directional verbs can both be English path verbs, or prepositions.Meanwhile, before making a concrete analysis of the semantic structure of directional verbs, we also study the detailed characteristics of the derivation of the eleven directional verbal senses, and find that these senses can be classified as the following types:?other spatial locomotive senses besides the basic sense;?other motor behavioral senses besides spatial shift;?temporal sense (expressing the movement or order of time);?quantitative sense;?range/degree sense;?showing the results of motor behaviors;?other senses.Based on the analyses from the two perspectives above, we apply the LCCM approach to examine the experiential bases of every sense of directional verbs besides the basic sense, and also investigate the bridging contexts from which pragmatic senses are produced based on experiential bases. What's more, we compare the semantic structure of directional verbs with some related English words (path verbs or prepositions) and analyze the causes for the similarities and differences between them. From our analysis, we have come to the following findings:First, in view of the semantic structure of directional verbs(1) Other spatial senses besides the basic one are all originated from the transformations between different elements within the basic cognitive model entered by basic lexical concept, including the transformation of reference frame and that of the focuses of attention on spatial motive elements.(2) Besides spatial shift, every directional verb has several motor behavioral senses, the generation of which is based on the experiential co-occurrence cognitive model formed between spatial experience in specific situations and other concrete motor behavioral experience, such as the transfer of ownership shown by guo in guo hu, guo zhang, that is, the experiential co-occurrence cognitive-model based on the transformation of spatial location and the transfer of ownership.(3) Every directional verb can be used to indicate time and quantity. The direct reason for these two senses lies in the experiential cognitive model between the specific moving and the change of time or quantity expressed by the directional verb, while the deep-seated reason consists in the experiential co-occurrence cognitive model between superordinate categories, such as space and time, or space and quantity.(4) Every directional verb has a sense of RESULT. The formation of the RESULT sense is closely related to the verb-complement construction of directional verbs. The directional complement represents the result of a certain act or behavior. The sense of RESULT comes from the mutual interaction between the directional meaning and the verb-complement construction.(5) Some directional verbs, such as "guo", "shang", "xia", and "qi" show a sense of STATE based on the verb-complement construction, i.e. representing the state or stage of a certain act of behavior. The sense of STATE fully reflects the role of subjectification in semantic change.Second, in view of the comparison between Chinese and English directional verbs(1) Most English path verbs (or propositions) and Chinese directional verb which have similar primary sense are very similar in meaning derivation. Take "guo" as an example. There are few different derivational meanings between English path verb pass, the proposition past, through and over, and Chinese "guo". It shows that these words based on the same concept element of "passing" in their primary sense have entered many similar experience co-occurrence cognitive models, which play a leading role in the derivation of non-spatial senses.(2) Different constituents in similar concepts will result in differences in meaning derivation. For example, the difference between through and "guo" comes from the different conceptual element incorporated in their primary meaning. Through gives the prominence to passing through the closed or semi-closed 3D graphics, emphasizing a space distance from the beginning to the end. Therefore, it is not suitable for through to describe "passing a spot", and the co-occurrence experiential construction of "passing a spot" will not enter the cognitive model profile denoted by through. "More than a certain quantity" or "in excess of a limitation" can only co-occur with "passing a spot", so they will not become the derivational meanings of through. For the same reason, though "through" derives the meaning of time, it is different from that denoted by "guo". Through emphasizes the passing of a period of time, so it can not be used to describe passing a point of time. That's why in English we can say "I have read through three hours", but can not say "I read through three o'clock"(3) Cultural differences between Chinese and English will result in differences in meaning derivation. Take "guo" as an example, "guomen" means getting married. The sense totally derives from traditional Chinese marriage conventions. Getting married means that the bride is married to the bridegroom.(4) Grammatical structures will influence meaning derivation. Chinese directional verbs derive the sense of RESULT for they can be used as complements of verbs, and so do some related English prepositions. However, English path verbs have no derivational sense of RESULT for they have no related usages.In sum, applying the LCCM approach to the study of Chinese directional verbs has resulted in the confirmation of motivated systematicity in the extended senses associated with Chinese directional verbs.