A Cognitive Approach To The Semantic Category Of Chinese Serial Verb Construction

Chinese serial verb construction(CSVC,“(N)+VP1+VP2”),as a special construction in Chinese,delivers the sense of consecutive motion or some event relations,which is featured with fixed sequence between verbs.On the basis of previous semantic studies of CSVC,it cannot be denied that the semantics of CSVC itself shapes a polysemy category ranging from concrete members to abstract ones.Although some scholars has attended to the multi-dimension and polysemy feature of CSVC,a considerable gap is found in the study of the semantics of CSVC from the category perspective.In light of the category property of the semantics of CSVC,this research tries to make a comprehensive study on the semantic category of CSVC and realizes the following two research purposes:(1)To explore the cognitive nature of the semantics of CSVC from cognitive perspective;(2)To investigate the distribution and extending mechanism of the semantic category of CSVC from Cognitive Linguistics.Cognitive Lingusitics as a burgeoning research paradigm in language study,can provide persuasive explanation for language structure based on its principle of reality—cognition—language.Hence,in consideration of the sequential cognition feature of individual CSVC meaning and the category feature posed by overall semantic phase of this structure,the cognitive reference point(CRP)theory and schema network theory are employed as the theoretical tool in this research to make a theoretical model to illustrate the formation process of the schema and extending path of the semantic category of CSVC.This analytic model contains two sub-models: the cognitive reference point operation model for the semantic construction process for single CSVC and the schema network model for the category construction of the semantic category of CSVC,which respectively deals with the semantic construction process of single CSVC from a micro perspective and the formation and extension process of the semantic category of CVC from a macro perspective.Based on the cognitive reference point(CRP)sub-model in the analytic model ofthis research,cognitive nature of the specific semantics of CSVC is the conceptualizer's activation process of the mental image of higher specificity of event2 expressed by VP 1 by taking event 1 represented by VP2 as cognitive reference point and the conceptual relation between them as mental path.The dynamic events and the event relations in this model are two variable factors that give rise to different semantics of CSVC.Based on the schema network category model,CSVC takes the CRP operation to shape the schema and further instantiate the schema into prototype of this category with elementary ability of temporal perception and basic event situations.By taking the schema as base and the prototype as reference,different instances of this category rise from the variations of two variable factors(events and event relations)shaped by the conceptualizer's cognitive operations them.Based on the above analytic model,the construction of the semantics of CSVC is the conceptualizer's activation process of a mental image of higher specificity of event 2 by taking event 1 as a cognitive reference point and the event relation between them as mental path.This process presents as the schema of the semantic category of CSVC,namely the unidirectional transition from event 1 to event 2 based on their event relation and the two events are about same participant.Event relation in this construction process as the linker of the two events and decider of the transition direction,is the most prominent part in this process,which is considered as the semantics of CSVC in traditional researches.However,semantics of CSVC contains the overall construction process of this structure in light of Langacker's principle‘meaning is conceptualization',and the semantics of CSVC in traditional view is just the profiled part but not the whole.Prototype of this category rises from the CRP operation of simple physical events consecutive in temporal and spatial location.After the above CRP operation,prototype that profiles the [CONSECUTIVE TEMPORAL SEQUENCE] relation is shaped.Other non-prototype members of this semantic category is formed by the cognitive operations on the two variable factors in the schematic cognitive reference point model of the semantics of CSVC:(1)Extension that profiles [SUBJECTIVE TEMPORAL SEQUENC] relation is shaped out of conceptualizer's “perspective” operation on events,whose event transition is based ontemporal sequence.(2)Category extensions respectively profiling abstract[CAUSE-EFFECT] and [MANNER-PURPOSE] relations are resulted from conceptualizer's metaphorical operation on event relations from physical realm to conceptual realm.The specific metaphors engaged in the process are respectively +[CAUSE-EFFECT] IS [FORCE CONTACT]+ and +[TRANSITION FROM MANNER EVENT TO PURPOSE EVENT IS PHYSICAL SOURCE-PATH-GOAL MOTION].The basis for event transition is extended from physical temporal sequence to logic sequence.The extension of members in the semantic category of CSVC from physical to logic level and formation of the multi-level,interrelated category distribution is mainly realized by the ‘perspective' and ‘metaphor'operations.This research takes both micro and macro perspectives to discuss the semantic category of CSVC.From a micro perspective,the cognitive reference point operation is employed to provide a specific analysis for the semantic construction process of CSVC.From a macro perspective,the schema network category theory is adopted to illustrate the distribution and extension of the semantic category of CSVC.Result of this research has remedied the weakness of previous studies on the semantic category of CSVC.Nevertheless,due to limited research time and ability of the researcher,there is still some gap to be filled in this research,like the cognitive motivation for the conceptualizer to take a perspective operation is still unsolved in this research,which is expected to be explained in further researches.