A Study Of The Degree Category Of Lexicons Developed Form Words With Negative Meaning

The degree category is a ubiquitous Cognitive Category. There are several means in Chinese to express the degree category:degree adverbs, adjective, adjective reduplication and some fixed forms, etc. After a study on the expression of degree category in ancient Chinese and modern Chinese language, the author of this thesis found that some words expressing degree developed from some adjectives, verbs, and nouns with negative meanings. For example, degree adverbs "sha" "tong" "ku" of ancient Chinese, "hen" "lao" "guai" of modern Chinese, and some grammaticalizing words, like "si" "huai". Dialects also include a large number of degree words of this kind. In this thesis, based on the previous studies on the degree category, the author intends to employ the theory of grammaticalitzation to analyze this linguistic phenomenon,i.e. the degree expressions.The production part of this thesis has a review of the previous achievement on the absolute degree category, and introduces the mechanism of grammaticalization in Chinese. Chapter two cites some words expressing degree in every period as examples. Chapter three concludes three sources of negative semantic meaning:verbs having the meaning that terminate the life; noun referring to objects that can arouse feelings of repugnance or terror; adjective that can cause pain or displeasure. In the meantime, the level of degree that these kinds of words express is analyzed. Chapter four mainly analyzes the functional characteristics of words with negative meaning expressing degree. In the aspect of syntax, degree adverbs and other grammaticalizing words expressing degree can be used as adverbial or complement; in the aspect of pragmatics, degree adverbs always have intense emotions and sense of subjectivity, and are always found in spoken language. Chapter five analyzes motivation and mechanism of grammaticalitzation of words having negative meaning expressing degree. There are four factors: words having negative meaning have semantic foundation of inherent high degree; they are always placed in the adverbial and complement position, making them turn into words expressing high degree; the cognitive psychology also play an important role in the evolution of the words with negative meanings toward words expressing degree, account for the mechanism of metaphor and linguistic subjectivisation.This thesis comes to the conclusion that words with negative meaning are easily grammaticalized to the words expressing high or extreme high degree. This is a common language phenomenon. Those words with negative meaning not only have the semantic foundation and syntactic context for this grammaticalization, but also have high prominence and subjectivity, which consist with the pragmatic function of high degree. This thesis conducts a study on the words expressing degree from a new perspective. It is hoped to bring in some inspiration to the further research in degree category.