A Comparative Study On English And Chinese Serial Verb Construction

This thesis analyses the sentences existing in both English and Chinese, which can be expressed as a sequence:NP-VP1-VP2. Sentences with sequence of NP-VP1-VP2 can be classified in several different types. However, there is only one type existing in the both languages, which expresses the same concept and can be concluded detailedly to be infinitive structure as adverbial in English and serial verb construction expressing purpose or result in Chinese. In this thesis, the above two sentences in English and Chinese are called serial verb construction, which is the object of the study. This study differs from the Chinese serial verb construction and is a term redefined from the aspects of not only sequencing, but also semantic and conceptual features and grammatical functions. The redefinition of the term provides a solid basis for comparison of English and Chinese serial verb construction which consists of the following elements:First, it must be formally sequenced as NP-VP1-VP2. Second, semantically and conceptually VP1 must happen before VP2, both of which can express independent events or actions relatively and VP2 can only be VP1's purpose or result. Third, from the aspect of grammatical functions, VP1 is the main element and VP2 is the complementary element, while semantically VP2 is the main element and VP1 is the complementary element.On the solid basis of the redefinition, the thesis firstly compares the surface structure and relationship of serial verb construction of English and Chinese from the macro perspective, which includes characteristics of surface structure, consistency and particularity between the surface structure and grammatical relationship, formation, and the relations between syntagmatic relationship, semantic relationship and grammatical functions. Through analyzing the above content, the conclusion is that the universality of serial verb construction of English and Chinese is dominant because they are rooted in the same concept. However, they have differences in formation and grammatical functions of the elements, which is just because of the different typology the two languages belong to.Secondly, this thesis does a comparative study on serial verb construction of English and Chinese from the micro perspective, or rather, study consisting elements of serial verb construction. It includes identification of the categories, semantic features and syntactic features of NP, VP1, and VP2. NP should have [+nominal] and [+living] in categorical and semantic selection and NP is the external argument of VP1 and VP2. The comparative analysis of VP1 in serial verb construction of English and Chinese find the common semantic features, which is the material basis to form serial verb construction in this thesis. For VP2, the analysis is mainly from the expression and the application of Empty Category Principle (ECP). All of these make great contribution to generate the common mode of serial verb construction of English and Chinese.Thirdly, this thesis builds the common generative mode of serial verb construction of English and Chinese, which is based on the phase derivation theory proposed by Chomsky. Finally, this thesis gives a brief explanation from the word (verb) level and cognitive perspective, based on the above analysis and study.