Representation Of The English Resultative Construction In English Learner’s Dictionaries

The English resultative construction (RC) is a family of construction consistingof many subtypes which bear no overt mark and share the common core meaning thatthey describe the final result of an argument achieved by the action denoted by themain verb. This construction varies greatly in form, and it is a very difficultconstruction for Chinese EFL learners to acquire. As an important reference tool,English learner’s dictionaries (ELDs) are supposed to take users’ need intoconsideration and fully represent this construction. However, it was found that thecurrent leading ELDs have considerable deficiencies in dealing with this constructionand cannot meet Chinese EFL learners’ requirements well. Therefore, it is essential toconsider improving the treatment of this construction in ELDs in order to serve usersbetter.This thesis first analyzed the classification, the syntactic and semantic features ofthe English RC, and semantic and pragmatic constraints imposed on this construction.Then, an empirical study, including a grammaticality judgment test and aChinese-English translation test, was carried out among Chinese EFL learners toexplore what difficulties they have in acquiring this construction. Based on theresearch results, an investigation into the treatment of the four difficult subtypes infive current leading ELDs was conducted, and it revealed the deficiencies of therepresentation of this construction in current ELDs. In order to address this problem, atentative optimized representation model was proposed under the guidance ofconstruction grammar and multi-dimensional definition theory (MDT), and severalexamples are given to illustrate the model.Major findings in this thesis can be summarized as follows:1) Chinese EFLlearners vary in their comprehension or production of different subtypes of Englishresultatives. To be more specific, selected transitive path resultatives and intransitivepath resultatives are the easiest subtypes for Chinese EFL learners to comprehend orproduce while unselected transitive property resultatives and unselected transitive path resultatives are the most difficult ones. In addition, Chinese EFL learners withhigh English proficiency perform much better and are able to accept or produce moreEnglish resultatives than those with low English proficiency. This may be becauseinput on this construction in the learning and teaching process is insufficient, andteachers, textbooks and dictionaries fail to pay enough attention to this construction.2)The representation of this construction in the five current leading ELDs is deficient.Most of them only include a small part of the English RC and fail to fully representtypical structures. In most ELDs, they focus only on the verbs and ignore theimportance of the structure as a unified construction. They fail to show theconstructional meaning and semantic constraints of the English RC. In addition, thetreatment of structures of the same subtype is unsystematic.3) The study proposed atentative optimized representation model of the English RC on the basis ofconstruction grammar and MDT. Representation principles in macrostructure,microstructure and mediostructure were put forward to guide the treatment of theEnglish RC in ELDs. Based on these theories and principles, representation modulesfor instances of each subtype of the English RC were designed in order to better serveusers.