Subcategorization And The Study Of Modifiers In English Noun Phrases

The noun phrase is a very important component of English sentence and a very important topic in the study of English grammar. Premodifiers and postmodifiers are important components of a noun phrase and an indispensable part of the discussion of the noun phrase. Structural grammar and transformational generative grammar have made some research on the modifiers in the English noun phrase. However, most of the researches are confined to the language itself and neglect external factors such as social development and human cognition. In recent years, some linguists and scholars have begun to do research on modifiers in noun phrases from a cognitive perspective, but limitations also exist in their studies. Guided by the theory of subcategorization in cognitive linguistics, this thesis has made a profound and comprehensive study of the modifiers in English noun phrases, focusing on the definition of modifiers, the function of modifiers, the constraints on modifiers, the differences between premodifiers and postmodifiers, and the ordering of multi-level premodifiers. The study aims to help to understand the cognitive background of the modifiers in the noun phrase and provide useful reference for understanding and using modifiers in the noun phrase. The thesis begins with the study of the function of modifiers and holds that a language structure has its value of existence for its specific function. The thesis points out that the function of the modifiers in English noun phrases is to subcategorize what the head word refers to, that is, to classify what the head word refers to into two or more than two subcategories, and the multi-level modifiers in a noun phrase are the result of multi-level subcategorization of what the head word refers to, which fact indicates that the subcategorization can be carried out from different angles. The ordering of multi-level modifiers is determined by the order of the multi-level subcategorization.Subcategorization results from social development and the extension of human cognition, which leads to the conclusion that the use and the word order of modifiers in a noun phrase conforms with the general law of social development and human cognition.Based on the understanding of modifiers in noun phrases as subcategorization, the thesis has made a comprehensive study of the law of use and the word order of premodifiers in English noun phrases, succeeding in a cognitive account of the general facts concerning modifiers in English noun phrases.