A Corpus-based Study Of Dative Construction In Chinese Learners’ English Wirting

Dative construction is analysed as NP+V+NPd+P+NPiwith X cause Z to move toY as its central meaning. Linguists from Structural Approach, TransformationalGenerative Grammar and Cognitive Contruction Grammar have discussed it from atheoretical perspective. Grounded on the linguistic explanations of structural approachand transformational perspective, researchers from L1and L2acquisitional fieldexamined the structural learning and transformational relationship of dativealternation presented by language learners. However, little acquisitional researchfocused its theme on DC, let alone specific data support from corpora. This thesistargets to discuss using features and patterns of DC by Chinese learners in hope ofproviding insights for DC teaching and enriching DC research by the way of basingthe discussion on the data in CLEC and Brown from the perspective of CognitiveConstruction Grammar.Furthering Pinker s study in1989, Goldberg (1995) classified ditransitive verbsinto ten types and discussed their argument structures. This thesis attempts to probeinto and analyse using features of DC in English writing by Chinese learners from theaspects of meaning of DC, dative verb types and argument structures. The followingquestions are to be answered:1. What are the features of the usage of Chinese L2learners when learningEnglish DC?2. What are the similarities and differences of using English DC by nativeEnglish and Chinese L2learners?The results of the present thesis indicates that Chinese learners use positivegiving and potential giving verb types more than those connoting marginal meaningof DC and use central meaning of argument structures more than its metaphorical use.It indicates that learners are sensitive to construction meaning, which proves surfacegeneralization hypothesis proposed by Goldberg (2006). Chinese English learnerswith ST6use metaphorical extension of DC more often than learners with other fourproficiency and learners with ST2use its metaphorical extension least among learners with all the five proficiency. It is consistent with the theory Creativity argued byGoldberg (2006). Compared with native speakers, Chinese learners also use thecentral meanings of dative construction and its arguement structures more than theirmarginal meanings. Contrasted with native speakers, Chinese learners overuse andunderuse a lot. Generally Chinese learners overuse dative construction. They tend tooveruse positive giving verb type and underuse other verb types. The same happens tothe use of argument structures. This may indicate that Chinese English learnersinability of accessing to sufficient intake to generalize DC effectively. Therefore,Chinese learners have not reach native-like proficiency about using DC.As for the problems uncovered in the present study, this thesis suggests thatexplicit teaching and usage-based model should be conducted in DC acquiring andteaching.