Modern Chinese Phrase Refers To The Number Of Functions And Related Research On Behalf Of The Constructions

This thesis aims at a comprehensive and systematic study of references made byquantitative phrases in modern Chinese in order to show how they are systematicfrom the cognitive perspective and to display their cognitive mechanism. The study,based on the previous research findings, borrows the Construction Grammar Theoryand some ideas from cognitive grammar. Several problems as follows are to be solvedby the thesis.1. It is necessary to further sort, distinguish and investigate these referentialcases of quantitative phrases in modern Chinese, which are in various forms,elaborate types and diverse strengths. The investigation in the thesis includes“substantive references”（实体性指代）made by the collocations of Chinesequantifiers and numerals,“eventive references”（事件性指代）made by thecollocations of verb quantifiers and numerals from the metaphoric and cognitiveperspective,“time references”（时段性指代）made by the collocations of numeralsand time quantifiers defined by time units of human kinds.2. The thesis attempts to make reasonable explanation for these referentialcases which have only been described, yet never explained by the existing research.For instance, why do quantitative phrases have the referential function? Why do“substantive references”（实体性指代）,“eventive references”（事件性指代）and“time references”（时段性指代）have the same identity? What are thedifferences between them?3. The judgments made by the existing research on the quantitative referencesat the pragmatic level are too general so that distinguishing, determining of thenature and further explanation are needed. If it does exist that quantitative phrasesmake references, are they a“identifiable”（定指）or“non-identifiable”（不定指）? Are they specific（实指）or nonspecific（虚指）? Do they pragmatically mean“each”or“one by one”? Are they“progressive”（�'进性）or“universal”（遍指性）?The thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter is the introduction. Chapter Two serves as the overview. Chapter Three, Chapter Four and Chapter Five elaborateupon it and constitute the main body of the thesis. Chapter Six is the conclusion.The first chapter is the introduction. The purpose and significance of selectingthe topic are introduced. The related literature review is combed in terms of thematching, the distribution, word order and the reference of quantitative phrases,Chinese construction grammar and so on. The theory and methods of researchinvolved in the thesis are put forth from three perspectives–“analysis” and“integration”,“borrowing” and “innovation”,“explanation” and “prediction”.Chapter Two taps into the referential function and categorization of quantitativephrases. The prior elaboration is on the generation mechanism of referential functionof quantitative phrases, including their basis semantics and syntactic deviation, theirbasic function and cognitive base and the cognitive reason for their referentialfunction. Then the chapter approaches the pragmatic types of the referentialfunction of quantitative phrases, concluded on the basis of concepts of nominalelements, references and inclusive component and arbitrary reference（周遍性成分与任指概念）. Finally, the analysis of the pragmatic types of referential function ofquantitative phrases is made, including the referential function of truth-conditionalsemantic（真值义）quantifier phrase, non-truth value quantifie（r非真值义）phrase,quantifier phrases in repetition pattern.The referential function of truth-meaning quantitative phrases is the focus ofChapter Three. This chapter investigates the references made by quantitative phrasesin different syntactic positions including these basic ones such as subjects, objects,concurrent components and predicates. In terms of the references made by thequantitative phrases as subjects, anaphoric reference constructions in generaldivision patter and quantitative phrases are discussed with the demonstration oftheir polysemy and isomorphism and the explanation of reasons for their referentialfunction. The part about the quantitative reference by objects expounds theirtopicalization constructions and their quantitative objects after NP are split up andpre-posed. The polysemy and isomorphism of quantitative objects are proved andthe referential functions of quantitative objects are accounted for. As for the quantitative references made by concurrent components, the categories of causativeverb constructions are explored, properties of无定成分and quantitative concurrentcomponents are analyzed and proofs of the referential function of quantitativeconcurrent components are explained. The part about the references bypredicates concentrates on pragmatic driving of quantitative predication and themotivation of quantitative predication constructions. Besides, the weakening ofreferential function by quantitative predication phrases is demonstrated.Chapter Four explores the referential function of non-truth value quantifierphrase. Five typical kinds of construction are examined.1. The quantitativereferences by reduplicative constructions of“one plus a quantitative”（“一量”）focus on the construction of“V1+one plus a quantitative+V2one plus aquantitative”（V1一量+V2一量）and their features of quantitative references.2. The quantitative references by contrastive constructions of“one plus aquantitative”concentrate on the construction of“A1one plus a quantifier A2oneplus a quantifier”（A1一量A2一量）. Its meanings and pragmatic function areanalyzed; its attribute and referential function are elaborated on; its reversedconstruction of“one plus a quantifier A1one plus a quantifier A2”（一量A1一量A2）and its derivative construction of“one plus a quantifier A1one plus aquantifier A2”（一量A1一量A2）.3. The references made by predicationconstructions of“one plus a quantifier”（一量）are mainly the construction of“NP+one plus a quantifier”（NP+一量）in terms of its feature and function. Itspragmatic focus and reasons are dug into and the referential loss is explained.4.When it comes to the quantitative references by the progressive and differentialconstructions, the typical construction of“one plus a quantifier compared with oneplus a quantifier+VP”（一量比一量+VP）is discussed. The time sequence of“Time Quantifier�'Verb Quantifier”, non-time sequence of“verb quantifier�'physical quantifier” are described and the variation of non-differential universalconstructions. In addition, the features of referential function of “one plus aquantifier compared with one plus a quantifier” are explained.5. The elaboration onthe quantitative references by universally emphatic construction covers the syntactic interpretation of universal subject, the analysis of the construction of“one plus aquantifier+without/not+VP”（一量+没/不+VP）and the explanation offeatures of referential function of quantitative phrases.Chapter Five focuses on the referential function of reduplicative quantitativephrases. Three questions are discussed-their syntactic distribution, semanticintegration and referential function. The part about their syntactic distribution dwellson the referential functions of reduplicated themes, reduplicated rhemes,reduplicatedobjects, reduplicated adverbs and reduplicated complements are explored. Inthe part about their syntactic integration, the semantic differences of reduplicatedmorphemes are talked about with the analysis of category semantic reasons, bothdynamic and static. And the explanation is made from mental scanning perspective.In terms of the referential function by reduplicative quantitative phrases, iconicitytheory and the effect of its repetition are presented. Furthermore, the relationshipbetween its syntactic positions and its referential function is discussed.Chapter Six is the conclusion in which the major conclusions in the thesis andthe problems to be studied are pointed out.