The Study On The Overlapping Format "X In The X"

Overlapping is a universal but important means of expressing the quantity category in Chinese, which is very unique in the aspects of semantics, syntax and pragmatics. The overlapping "x in the x" is the very one of the various overlapping formats in the modern Chinese. As the means of regulating the quantity, this format has been used widely in the daily communication, which represents its productivity. The meaning of it is not the summation of the components, but the integrated meaning that is more than the literal meaning. This thesis takes the "x in the x" format as its research subject and the "three level" theory, cognitive theory as well as the subjectivism theory as its research methods. It tries to describe and analyze from the angles of the language form, the implicated meaning, the syntax functions and the pragmatic values of this format.This thesis contains seven parts in all. The first part is Introduction. It reviews the overlapping phenomenon from the macro-level and micro-level respectively, and reviews the current research situations of the overlapping format "N in the N". Therefore, it puts forward the research meaning and the originality, and defines the research subjects, scales, the theories adopted and the pragmatics resources selected of the this thesis. The second part, from the form level, analyzes the changeable component "x" of the format "x in the x", the unchangeable locality word "zhong" and the particle "de". The changeable components of "x in the x" could be nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. The role of "zhong" changes from the orientation directivity to the intensify quantification directivity. The third part analyzes, from the semantic angle, the components that can be used in this format, thus brings forth the basic semantic constraints:the changeable components in any forms should have the general "qualitative meaning", and it analyzes the display modes of the qualitative meanings of all the word classes respectively. The fourth part analyzes the inner recursive meaning of the whole format from the angle of construction theory. While using this format, people can make mono-level or multi-level recursion. Due to the expressing emphasis, the format will show its recursive comparative meaning or its recursive emphatic meaning. The fifth part describes the syntax function of this format. Owing to its abundant changeable components, it shows its variety while used as the syntax components. The sixth part, following the guidance of the subjectivism theory, puts emphasis on the pragmatic function of this format, and points out this format is usually used in the exaggerating oral style because of its extreme high or extreme low subjectivities. At the same time, it discusses how this format achieves the goal of subjective quantity. Lastly, it is the summary part. It stresses the improvement of this thesis in the form, semantics and pragmatics, as well as the new angles and thoughts to expose the value of the format.