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Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies
ISSN 0577-9170; DOI 10.6503/THJCS

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On the Patterned-Compounding [Xiāng V] and Semantic Functions of Xiāng in Pre-Qín Chinese

Vol. 43 No. 1   03/2013    

Title

On the Patterned-Compounding [Xiāng V] and Semantic Functions of Xiāng in Pre-Qín Chinese

Author

Yew Boon Hock  

Genre

Article  

Pages

97-126  

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PDF

Language

Chinese  

Key words

xiāng, [xiāng V], Pre-Qin patterned-compounding, participation marker, 偏指之相piānzhĭ zhī xiāng  

Abstract

        This paper attempts to clarify the semantic functions of xiāng in Pre-Qin Chinese from a Radical Construction Grammar perspective. I propose that xiāng is a participation marker in the patterned-compounding [xiāng V], which signals that there are two parties involved in the event that is represented by the verb. Based on research on Pre-Qin Chinese common verbs, this paper classifies [xiāng V] into three categories, namely [xiāng VCAUSATIVE], [xiāng VINCHOATIVE] and [xiāng VSTATIVE], representing, respectively, the event of one party doing something to another party in the same group, the event of both parties in a group undergoing the same change of state, and the comparison of the characteristics of two parties in a group. I also use Mental Space Theory to show that these three [xiāng V] patternedcompounding constructions are cognitively-based. It is pointed out that 偏指之相 piānzhĭ zhī xiāng evolved from [xiāng VCAUSATIVE], and the shift from [S + REF, +/- DEF, COLLECTIVITY +xiāng VCAUSATIVE] to [S + REF, + DEF, INDIVIDUALITY +xiāng VCAUSATIVE] was the crucial change.  

 

 

Author: Yew Boon Hock
Genre: Article
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