The Cognitive Study On The Sort Of Measure Words

As an important subsystem of the Chinese measure words system, sort of measure words are one kind of noun measure words. It is an important language phenomenon which we should pay attention to. Although the sort of measure words like"zhong, lei"are used frequently in Chinese, there are few studies on them. In order to fill in this gap, the present study aims to investigate the sort of measure words both generally and individually with the theory of cognitive linguistics and the plane theories of grammar, semantics and pragmatics.Chapter 1 explores the sort of measure words in general. Firstly, it presents an extensive review of the relevant literature and history of the sort of measure words. The previous studies on the sort of measure words were mainly focused on their categorization, including the following four viewpoints: 1) the categorization of the measure words like"zhong, lei"is indefinite; 2) the measure words like"zhong, lei"are categorized into collective measure words; 3) the measure words like"zhong, lei"are categorized into individual measure words; 4) the measure words like"zhong, lei"per se form an independent group of measure words. Based on previous studies, we summarized the semantic features of sort of measure words into the following three: 1) categorization and listing; 2) scope and level; 3) secondary and weak space. Furthermore, we conducted general analysis of the sort of measure words on the basis of previous studies, classified the non-weigh and measure words according to the meaning of order and type, re-divided the measure words system, especially the general measure words, into subtypes, and specified the position of sort of measure words in the measure words system. We also summarized the semantic features of the sort of measure words, including kinds and types, objective universal, and more than one, specified the scope of the sort of measure words considering both their forms and semantic meanings, defined typical measure words and atypical measure words according to the categorization theory and the prototype theory in cognitive linguistics. According to this standard, eighteen sort of measure words are specified. They are"zhong, lei, yang, ge, kuan, ma, hao, men, lu, zong, pai, deng, ji, liu, pin, fan, se, and ban". Among them,"zhong, lei, and yang"are typical sort of measure words, while the other members are atypical sort of measure words.Chapter 2 conducted case studies on the sort of measure words. Through the analysis and description of the case studies, the pattern of heterogeneity of typical sort of measure words and the pattern of categorization of new sort of measure words were revealed.Section 1 made a comparison between and an analysis of the typical sort of measure words, namely,"zhong, lei and yang". They have some features in common, but also have differences in syntactical patterns, scopes of use, and meanings. According to the differences between external opposition and internal hierarchy, we compared and analyzed"zhong"and"lei", and also discussed"yang". Through this investigation, we further understood the collocation pattern of typical sort of measure words and nouns and explored the factors influencing the use of sort of measure words. The conclusion is as follows:"zhong"is externally oppositional, emphasizing the opposition on the same hierarchy, and the number can be singular; while"lei"is internally hierarchical, emphasizing the differentiation between internal hierarchies, and number must be plural."yang"has strong exterior meaning and individual preference, emphasizing unity, and the number can be singular. Semantic is a basic factor affecting the use of typical sort of measure words. Pragmatic is another important factor, and the other one is the type of writing. In the case of making a subjective evaluation or judgment on a person,"zhong"is usually used. In the case of objective description or emphasizing,"lei"is mostly chosen. In the case of animal nouns, most of the animal nouns concurrent with sort of measure words may choose"zhong". However, only when it is needed to activate the hierarchical system of type,"lei"will be used. In the case of plant nouns,when not emphasize planting results but the natural state of existence plants is inclined to chose "lei".In the case of specific things, while giving definitions and making judgments on concepts and those closely related to people's life,"zhong"is mostly chosen; while on those not closely related to people's life and those have strict scientific systematic hierarchical classification,"lei"is mostly used. In the case of abstract things,"zhong"is used in diseases, customs, feelings, some adjectives and psychological verbs; while"lei"is preferred in issues and information.The more abstractive ,the more inclined to chose "zhong" . In general, on the basis of the semantic differentiation of whether there is hierarchy, the specific use of"zhong"and"lei"is decided by the speaker's cognition and intention, and the pragmatic and contextual requirements.Section 2 examines"ge"under the framework of sort of measure words. We discuss the syntactical context of the evolvement of"ge"into sort of measure words, its semantic features, and how it chooses nouns. It is shown that apart from the common semantic features shared with sort of measure words,"ge"also features strong spoken language. As a sort of measure word, the semantic meaning of"ge"is dynamic. In most cases, it needs the help of contexts."ge"is inclined to transform into a sort of measure word in the grammatical structure of"zhe+ge", in the context of"two types (lei, yang)…one…another", and in the grammatical context of nouns and noun phrases which contain morphemes of sort of measure words. For nouns,"ge", as a sort of measure word, mainly chooses abstract nouns, hypernyms, and specific nouns and"non-measure nouns". In a word, the more generalized and abstract the nouns are, the more probable that"ge"will choose.Section 3 concerns the categorization of the new sort of measure words. It defines its members, grasps its development route, and then outlines the general process of categorization of new sort of measure words. Based on its original meaning and with the joint efforts of semantic analogy, lexical transformation, and dialectal contact, the measure word"kuan"has been transformed into a sort of measure word. The process of categorization of"kuan"began from the prototypical member"clothes", then extended to other typical members in the vicinity like"ornaments", and broad extended to culture category,and further extended to the marginal members like"people". In brief, the more hypernym the nouns are, the more likely that"kuan"will choose.Chapter 3 is the conclusion for the whole thesis. It provides a summary of the major results and methodology, discusses the implications of the findings, points out some limitations. To sum up, under the framework of cognitive linguistics, the present study investigates the features and patterns of the sort of measure words from both semantic and cognitive perspectives. It can be operated in real life context and has methodological innovation.