Language Subjectivity: A Cognitive Study Of Modality, Transitivity And Solidarity

The present thesis explores language subjectivity with reference to data mainly from Chinese within the framework of cognitive grammar proposed and elaborated by Langacker (1985, 1987, 1991, 1999, 2000).For the purpose of the present study, the notion of subjectivity follows Langacker's view. According to Langacker's cognitive grammar theory of subjectivity, the speaker/hearer construes the speech event with a certain degree of objectivity or subjectivity. The default situation is, in Langacker's metaphor, an 'optimal viewing arrangement'. This is the case in which the observing Self S is fully distinct from the observed Other O; in other words, S construes O, and does not construe S construing O. In this case, the observer is maximally off-stage, focusing attention solely on the O; this means that O is construed maximally objectively, while S is construed maximally subjectively. When O is not construed fully objectively, the S/O asymmetry is eroded, resulting in a lesser degree of subjectivity for the observer S. In this case, O is subjectified, while S is objectified. The contrast between subjective and objective construal reflects the inherent asymmetry between a perceiving individual and the entity perceived. A parallel is thus draw between a perceptual relationship on the one hand, and the construal relationship for a linguistic predication on the other.This thesis comprises six sections, the first two of which lay the foundations for the thesis. Section 1 introduces the notion of subjectivity, and briefly reviews the related study on subjectivity. Section 2 is a brief introduction to cognitive grammar- the theoretical foundation of the present thesis.Subjectivity reflects at the lexical, syntactic, and discourse level. In section 3, I have proven the correlation between subjectivity and the behavior of Chinese modal adverb 'jiu' from four aspects: 1) encoding of 'jiu' and the resulted subjectivity; 2) 'jiu' as a grounding element; 3) semantic scope of 'jiu'; and 4) 'jiu' and epistemic predication. These four aspects suffice to explain how speakers' construal of a situation enters crucially into the description of Chinese modal adverb 'jiu' under the theoretical framework of cognitive grammar.In section 4, I first take it as established from several approaches that transitivity is a property of a clause. Three models of transitivity are then outlined as overlapping with each other. I have argued that transitivity as a system encoding experience is inherently correlated with subjectivity in the sense of Langacker's view of subjectivity by proposing that decreasing of sentence transitivity increases sentence subjectivity.In section 5, I have tried to summarize several ways of showing solidarity as reflected in written or spoken discourse, they are 1) choice of address form; 2) choice of perspective; 3) convergence; 4) seeking common ground. And I have tried to connect the phenomenon of seeking solidarity in communication with subjectivity, arguing that solidarity is merely one case of subjectivity. Finally, I have given a tentative cognitive grammar analysis with respect to subjectivity reflected in the preceding several devices. This includes the conceptual displacement, implicit ground element and foregroundness of the pivotal element of ground-the speaker.Section 6 concludes what has been demonstrated in the previous sections, pointing out the limitation and the contribution of the present thesis.