On Semantic Features And Cognitive Mechanisms Of Verb-direction Construction From The Perspective Of Macro-event

As a linguistic phenomenon characterizing human beings' basic spatial experience and bodily experience,the verb-direction construction has long been a popular topic in the linguistic study.Scholars have investigated this construction which is complicated in meaning from different theoretical perspectives,including functionalism theory,valence theory,cognitive theory,etc.A certain number of outcomes have been obtained.However,the path of the semantic extension of the verb-direction construction is still in dispute.Moreover,the attention given to different cases of the verb-direction construction is unbalanced.For instance,a number of researches focus on the verb-direction construction "V shang(?)",while the investigation of the verb-direction construction "V xia(?)" is relatively inadequate.Based on the data collected from CCL,this thesis first investigates the semantic features of the conceptual structures that the polysemous verb-direction "V xia" has characterized from the perspective of macro-event theory.Then,it explores the cognitive mechanisms behind the semantic extension of this polysemous construction via conceptual metaphor,conceptual metonymy and metaphtonymy,aiming to unveil the path of semantic extension of the polysemous verb-direction construction.The research findings are as follows:(1)At the semantic level,the polysemous verb-direction construction contains a directional meaning,a consequent meaning and a temporal meaning,pertaining to three types of macro-event.Specifically,the verb-direction "V xia" with a directional meaning characterizes a motion-type macro-event;that with a consequent meaning represents a state-change-type macro-event;that with a temporal meaning characterizes a temporal-contouring-type macro-event.(2)There exist both similarities and differences in the semantic features of conceptual structures of the three types of macro-event characterized by the polysemous verb-direction construction "V xia":? Figural entity:For one thing,the Figural entity in the conceptual structures of all three types of macro-event characterized by this construction can be either present or absent;for another,the Figural entity in the motion-type macro-event is objective and physically movable,while those in the state-change-type macro-event and temporal-contouring-type macro-event are abstract in nature and unable to move physically.? Activating process and co-event:in all three macro-events,the activating process and co-event are integrated into the verb of the verb-direction construction.Since the Activating process in the motion-type macro-event characterizes Motion,the verb shall be able to cause objective physical motion;the verb in the state-change-type macro-event shall cause change of state for the Activating process of it is Change;with respect to the temporal-contouring-type macro-event,the verb shall be continuable and repeatable.? Association function:The Association function in motion-type macro-event characterizes an objective physical path while those in state-change-type macro-event and temporal-contouring type macro-event characterize an abstract path,representing the process of state change and the process of temporal contour respectively.? Ground entity:the Ground entity in the conceptual structures of all three types of macro-event can be either present or absent.The Ground entity in the motion-type macro-event is objective,while those in the state-change-type macro-event and temporal-contouring macro-event are abstract.In detail,the Ground entity in state-change-type macro-event refers to property,and that in temporal contouring in temporal-contouring macro-event is temporal contour.(3)Conceptual metaphor,conceptual metonymy and metaphtonymy are involved in the semantic extension of the polysemous verb-direction construction "V xia".To be specific,conceptual metonymy contributes to the semantic extension within the directional meaning of the verb-direction construction"V xia";metaphtonymy operates in the semantic extension between the prototypical directional meaning of the construction and the two specific consequent meanings of the construction;conceptual metaphor enables the semantic extension between the prototypical directional meaning and the temporal meaning of the construction.To sum up,by exploring the semantic features of the conceptual structures of three types of macro-event that the polysemous verb-direction construction "V xia" characterizes as well as the cognitive mechanisms involved in the semantic extension,this thesis expands the study of the macro-event theory in cognitive linguistics and clarifies the cognitive mechanisms behind the semantic extension of the polysemous verb-direction construction.What's more,this thesis provides guidance for the Chinese teacher to help the foreign students understand and grasp the complicated verb-direction construction.