A Cognitive Study Of Non-conventional "吃/eat+N" Structure

Classification of objects in Chinese VO structure varies,and the semantic relationship between the verb and the object in Chinese VO structure is complex and difficult to distinguish,therefore,Chinese VO structure has aroused wide concern of scholars at home.The verb "吃" is a word frequently used in Chinese,so it is dynamic and complex both in semantics and syntax.Scholars conducted various researches on“吃+N" structure from different perspectives of view,on the basis of which non-conventional“吃+N" structure has been studied.Nevertheless,previous researches laid more emphasis on the function of objects in non-conventional "吃+N",neglecting the role of the verb in non-conventional“吃+N" structure.Moreover,it has also been found that comparative studies on“吃+N" and "eat + N" structure are rare.Some scholars have done comparative researches between the verb "吃" and "eat" from the perspective of semantics while others have conducted comparative studies on the VO structures of "吃",and "eat" from cultural and cognitive perspectives,yet there are few researches done to make a comparative analysis of the generating and cognitive mechanisms of non-conventional "吃+N" structure and "eat + N" structure.This thesis reviews the definition and classification of non-conventional VO structure and the comparative studies between "吃" and "eat" in previous researches,then it points out the limitations of these researches.Different from previous researches,this thesis conducts a comparative study of non-conventional VO structures of "吃" and"eat" based on the theory of idealized cognitive model(ICM),intending to give an all-sided explanation of the generating and cognitive mechanisms of them.Methodologically,the ICM "吃" and "eat" are summarized and discussed based on the semantic categories of "吃" and "eat" which are presented by means of dictionaries.The members that completely coincide with the elements of ICM are considered as prototype while members that fail to meet all the elements of ICM are considered as peripheral members that are derived from prototype by way of metaphor or metonymy.Therefore,conventional VO phrases completely fit the elements of ICM,while non-conventional VO phrases lose some elements of ICM yet can still be understood.Moreover,the generating and cognitive mechanisms of non-conventional VO structure of"吃" and "eat" are discussed through examples which are selected from CCL and websites,and conclusions are drawn as follows.Firstly,"吃" and "eat" share common prototypes so that the elements of ICM are identical.Secondly,the semantic categories of "吃" and "eat" are basically similar,yet they still have different members,which leads to similarities and distinctions between non-conventional " 吃+N" and "eat + N" structure.Lastly,non-conventional "吃+N" structure is more flexible and dynamic compared with non-conventional "eat + N" structure.There are many new Chinese phrases coined on the basis of non-conventional“吃 +N" structure,such as "吃土",while non-conventional "eat+N" phrases are relatively stable.Many non-conventional "eat + N"phrases are actually idioms,and some of them are out of date,rarely used nowadays.In this thesis,comparative study of non-conventional "吃+N" and "eat + N"structure is conducted from cognitive perspective,in the hope of offering a fair explanation of the generating and cognitive mechanisms of non-conventional VO structures of "吃" and "eat".