| Language is a complex system which exhibits general features of being open, dynamic, nonlinear and adaptive self-organizing (Cheng&Mo,2009). In this system, the intertwined factors inside and outside the language encourage a constant change of language in either form or function, which will push forward the change of the whole language system, and the constant emergence of new constructions. The process whereby new constructions emerge, is referred to as constructionalization (Traugott,2008). Constructionalization is the abstraction and generalization of one’s experience with language, and an important tool by which the grammar and lexicon are created. The present research, from a usage-based perspective and with the application of the exemplar model, aims at exemplifying the frequency effects on the constructional process and then identifying another way of generalization in constructionalization which is just opposite to the generalization from concrete to abstract. And the research takes as a case the constructional process of Chinese network catchword "打酱油, which has undergone the transformation from a compositional phrase to a fixed lexicon, typically a lexical constructionalization, during which the semantic meaning and syntactic environment have also changed. The usage-based theory takes the stance that the language structure emerges from language use, and thus lexical constructionalization, as a main kind of language change, has a close connection with language use. All speakers’experience with language will be stored in the mind, the products of which are referred to as exemplars. Exemplars are classified and stored according to the similarity, ie. the totally same language structure on either pronunciation or meaning, will be represented as the same exemplar. The exemplar will be strengthened by repetition of the language structure. Network catchword "打酱油" has undergone a change from a phrasal structure to a morphological unit that much resembles a lexicon, whereby both its pragmatic meaning and syntactic environment have changed. Repetition plays a key role in the process, because with an increase of usage frequency, its mental representation as a lexically filled construction is constantly strengthened and then gradually it is processed as a single unit. In other words, the construction constantly gains in autonomy and lexicality, gradually developing into a lexically filled construction.Construction-based grammar takes constructions as the basic units of language. Goldberg (2006) investigates the nature of generalization in language and claims that hierarchical relations exist between constructions and constructions are, based on the similarity, gradually generalized from many specific instances, during which their productivity constantly increases. However, it is possible that the productivity decreases and even loses in the process of constructionalization, which is referred to, in this thesis, as another way of generalization. The thesis takes "打酱油" as an example to illustrate the argument, which attracts attention to constructions and phrasal expressions and demands reconsideration of the mental representation of grammar.The thesis is of great theoretical and practical significance. Firstly, the investigation examines lexicalization in the light of constructionalization, thus offering a new perspective to lexicalization, and identifies another way of generalization in constructionalization that is opposite to generalization from concrete to abstract, which will further deepen the theory of construction grammar and shed lights on the researches of the nature of grammar and mental representation of the language. Secondly, the study of network catchwords is of great significance to successful communication, especially cross-cultural communication. Furthermore, it will offer some implications for Chinese acquisition and instruction as a foreign language and contribute to Chinese information computational processing and translation work. |
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