| Directional complements are widely regarded as one of the most problematic aspects of Chinese for second language learners. This dissertation presents an analysis of two types of directional words, jin "IN" in Mandarin versus khaw3 "IN" in Thai, and chu "OUT" in Mandarin versus :k2 "OUT" in Thai. In discussing how language background affects cognitive processing, I propose that Thai students of Chinese as a second language (CSL) should be taught the conceptual structure of these directional complements in order to learn them effectively.;The abstract semantic extensions for "IN" and "OUT" in both languages derive from prototypical senses of concrete movement into or out of a referent space. The extended senses are thus systematic and can be explained via conceptual relationships among senses as radial categories. The directional complements jin "IN" in Mandarin and khaw3 "IN" in Thai express directional and resultative meanings roughly as equivalents. However, in certain cases, the Thai complement can denote other senses, such as focus on the temporal state of an event or action. As for "OUT" chu in Mandarin and :k2 "OUT" in Thai, they are likewise similar in expressing directional and resultative meaning senses. However, the resultative meanings for the Thai complement are broader and include concepts of separation, expansion and elimination. Building on the findings of Deane (1988), Saralamba (1994), Saengchai (1994) and Liu (1998), I argue that verb choice triggers abstract metaphorical interpretations for these directional complements.;This dissertation consists of eight chapters. Chapter 1 introduces this study, and Chapter 2 defines the directional complements and outlines the theoretical basis for my analysis. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss the grammaticalization of "IN" and "OUT" in each language, respectively. Chapters 5 and 6 set forth a classification of the various senses denoted by the directional complements, and Chapter 7 discusses the results of a classroom-based experiment on the application of two contrasting approaches to teaching Thai CSL students the Chinese directional complements. Chapter 8 summarizes my findings and offers recommendations for future studies. |
