| Resultative constructions are so common in Chinese that most monosyllabic verbs denoting actions can enter the V position and monosyllabic adjectives denoting change of state can be the complements. Syntactically, Chinese resulative construction is a sentence pattern composed of a predicate verb denoting an action followed by a complement verb describing result. Semantically, it expresses a complex event consisting of an activity subevent and a result subevent.Goldberg (1995; 2004) proposes that all the acceptable English resultatives observe the conditions of Semantic Coherence Principle which only allows the agent role of the resultative construction to fuse with the causer role of the verb. But as far as Chinese resultative sentences are concerned, the integration between verb and construction is a different picture. Therefore, within the theoretical framework of construction grammar, this thesis is intended to explore the principle that causer argument is realized in Chinese resultatives and then to apply the principle to analyze ambiguous Chinese resultative sentence.The thesis is composed of five chapters:Chapter one is a concise introduction to the definition of Chinese resultatives and the research scope of the present study. The research object is restricted to Chinese resultative sentences in narrow sense whose complements denote result or state. The terms"resultative construction"and"resultatives"are used interchangeably in this thesis. The significance and the organization of the study are also introduced.Chapter two is devoted to a comprehensive overview of previous research achievements and empirical and theoretical defects. By virtue of the review, the research questions are put forward: (i) How is the CAUSER argument realized in Chinese causative resultatives? (ii) How to explain ambiguous causative resultative sentences with the principle of causer argument realization?Chapter three introduces the theoretical framework. It starts with different schools of construction grammar and the working definition of construction. And then a detailed introduction to construction grammar is given: the nature of constructional meaning, the integration between verb and construction, the semantics of the English resultative and Full Argument Realization. In accordance with the widely recognized Chinese resultative sentences, hypothesis for causer argument realization principle is proposed.Causative resultatives is distinguished from non-causative resultatives according to their different constructional meanings. Chapter four focuses on the realization of causer argument in Chinese causative resultatives within the framework of construction grammar. The last section of this chapter analyzes ambiguous causative resultative sentences with the principle of causer argument realization. Ambiguity arises when a resultative sentence has more than one reading in which the causer argument role is realized by integrating with different argument roles of the verb.Chapter five is the summary of this research. A detailed analysis in the above chapters results in the following findings. First, for Chinese causative resultatives, construction's causer can fuse with verb's agent, combine with verb's theme or be contributed by construction solely. As long as an entity has the ability to affect another entity and make it change state, no matter what semantic relation it has to the verb in V position (verb's agent or theme), or whether they have semantic relation (contributed by construction), it can be expressed as causer in Chinese causative resultatives. In order to emphasize the causer, it should be noun phrase with complex modifier or high degree of definiteness. Second, the ambiguity arises when causer argument can either fuse or combine with verb's agent or theme in a causative resultative sentence. When construction's causer fuses with verb's agent, it is an instance of agentive resultative construction; when causer combines with verb's theme, it is an instance of inverted resultatives.
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