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  

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese  

Key words

相xiāng, [相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 相xiāng in Pre-Qin Chinese from a Radical Construction Grammar perspective. I propose that 相xiāng is a participation marker in the patterned-compounding [相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 [相xiāng V] into three categories, namely [相xiāng VCAUSATIVE], [相xiāng VINCHOATIVE] and [相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 [相xiāng V] patternedcompounding constructions are cognitively-based. It is pointed out that 偏指之相 piānzhĭ zhī xiāng evolved from [相xiāng VCAUSATIVE], and the shift from [S + REF, +/- DEF, COLLECTIVITY +相xiāng VCAUSATIVE] to [S + REF, + DEF, INDIVIDUALITY +相xiāng VCAUSATIVE] was the crucial change.