On Wen-category Verbs In Modern Chinese

The dissertation takes the wen-category verbs in modern Chinese as research target. Wen-category verbs all have a common morpheme wen which means asking, so, the category is an analogous word group. Referring to Modem Chinese Dictionary, Words, Reverse-order Modern Chinese Dictionary, Reverse-order Modem verb Dictionary and Analogous Words Group in Modem Chinese, we define 24 verbs.Taking advantage of previous study methods about analogous words, the dissertation analyzes lexical meaning, syntax, semantic collocation, and pragmatics of the wen-category verbs, in order to find out the common feature and individual feature.On lexical meaning, the dissertation analyzes conceptual meaning of the 24 wen-category verbs by the model of lexical components-lexical structure analysis. We get 4 paradigmatic types, and the rules of which the wen-category verbs generate more new derivatives. Analysis of inferential meaning aims to discover the reason of slight differences in usage. Connotative meaning consists of affective meaning, attitude meaning, and style meaning, and it has restrictions on the choice of verbs.On syntax, the dissertation fully describes the syntax positions that the wen-category verbs appear, and some fundamental sentence patterns, and elliptical sentence patterns that the wen-category verbs generate. The wen-category verbs must be complicated forms when they appear on the position of subject and object. Shiwen, Qingwen, Ganwen, Dongweni, Jiewen are forbidden appearing on subject position, object position, and attribute position. The wen-category verbs can generate different fundamental sentence patterns and different elliptical sentence patterns. According to the difference, it can be divided into sub-category verbs.On semantics, the dissertation study semantic feature. Subject of the wen-category verbs has two semantic features [+HUMAN][+SIMLAR to HUMAN]. Dative object of the wen-category verbs also has these two semantic features. Patient object of the wen-category verbs has two semantic features [+ABSTRACT][+SPEECH INFORMATION]. The collocation of adverbial, complement and other co-occurrences must comply with the principle of semantic prosody congruity.On pragmatics, the dissertation analyzes the special members of the wen-category verbs by using speech act theory. To other members, the dissertation mainly analyzes which generate true interrogative sentence, and which generate false interrogative sentence according to relations between asker and listener.