Origin And Evolution Of Chinese Subject-Predicate Generalized Idioms From The Perspective Of Lexicalization Theory

Lexicalization and grammaticalization are two important aspects of language evolution.In the past 20 years,academic circles at home and abroad have made great achievements in the research of lexicalization,and more and more facts about lexicalization have been unearthed.With the emergence of systematic research on disyllabic lexicalization and cross level lexicalization in Chinese academic circles,the theory and research paradigm of Chinese lexicalization have basically taken shape.However,the focus of academic attention is mainly on the phenomenon of disyllabic lexicalization,there are more scattered,individual or broad studies,but less specific,systematic and specialized studies.Scholars at home and abroad have defined the concept of lexicalization from different perspectives.This thesis adopts the broad definition of diachronic lexicalization,focusing on the diachronic evolution process of how the input language unit evolves into the new lexical unit of output.The output of lexicalization is a lexical unit,which is not limited to typical disyllabic words.As an important lexical unit of Chinese,there are few systematic studies on the origin and evolution of Chinese four-word idioms from the perspective of lexicalization,except for a few individual studies.Due to the large number and strong individuality of Chinese idioms,this thesis takes the subject-predicate generalized idioms in modern Chinese as an example,selects 25 subject-predicate generalized idioms in the Modern Chinese Idioms Norm Dictionary and the Chinese Idioms Origin Dictionary as the specific objects of investigation,retrieves from the Chinese basic ancient books database,draws on the relevant research results of Chinese idioms and interpretations,and adopts research methods that combine synchronic and diachronic,description and interpretation,macroscopic and microscopic,quantitative and qualitative base on the basis of lexicalization theory.Through the investigation of the description of subject-predicate generalized idioms with variable space,lexicalization and its related phenomena,this thsis attempts to answer the following questions:(1)The relationship among lexicalization,general idiomatization and Chinese four-word idiomatization;(2)the lexicalization nature of subject-predicate generalized idioms;(3)the basic conditions and paths of lexicalization of subject-predicate generalized idioms;(4)the motivation and mechanism of lexicalization of subject-predicate generalized idioms;(5)the semantic and functional evolution and lexicalization degree of subject-predicate generalized idioms in the process of lexicalization.Because the semantic and functional evolution of subject-predicate generalized idioms in different story types is different in the process of lexicalization,this thesis divides subject-predicate generalized idioms into myth,historical legend and fable.At the same time,this thesis discusses and analyzes the lexicalization of Chinese subject-predicate generalized idioms and its related phenomena on the basis of case study and classification.The full text consists of seven chapters,including introduction and conclusion.The main body is divided into two parts:conspectus and monograph.The first chapter is the introduction.It mainly introduces the research object,research significance,Chinese four-word idiom research overview,research objectives,research methods and corpus description.The second chapter is the theoretical background.It combs the concepts of vocabulary,general idiom and Chinese four-word idiom,reviews the research situation of lexicalization,general idiomatization and Chinese four-word idiomatization,and clarifies the relationship among them,so as to provide a theoretical basis for the development of the thesis.The main views of this thesis is that there is a cross relationship between lexicalization and general idiomatization.General idiomatization includes lexical general idiomatization and non lexical general idiomatization,however only lexical general idiomatization can be regarded as lexicalization,and its output end is lexical unit.Lexicalization and Chinese four-word idiomatization are species relationship as well as lexicalization includes Chinese four-word idiomatization;general idiomatization and Chinese four-word idiomatization are species relationship as well as general idiomatization includes Chinese four-word idiomatization.In general idiom units,especially the boundary between Chinese four-word idioms and four character proverbs is fuzzy,and their lexicality is different.There may be a transformation relationship between lexical general idioms and non lexical general idioms.Consequently,the origin and evolution of subject-predicate generalized idiom is not only a general idiomatization phenomenon,but also a lexicalization phenomenon,which is Chinese four-word idiomatization phenomenon of the combination of lexicalization and general idiomatization.Therefore,the research on the origin and evolution of Chinese subject-predicate generalized idioms can be brought into the perspective of lexicalization theory.The third chapter is a conspectus to the main body of the thesis.Referring to Event-domain Cognitive Model(ECM),event structure and cognitive framework of event,it defines subject-predicate generalized idiom and regards it as“subject-predicate event generalized construction".This part specifically analyzes the lexicalization nature of subject-predicate generalized idioms,the condition and path of lexicalization,the motivation and mechanism of lexicalization.And its main points of this part are as follows:The first is the nature of lexicalization:diachronic lexicalization refers to a certain language form,not a certain meaning unit.Therefore,the input end of subject-predicate generalized idiom lexicalization is not the story text as the source of meaning and form,but the four character connective form related to the story text.The subject-predicate generalized idiom is lexicalized from the temporary four character connective form by syntactic means.In the process of lexicalization,the organization of form and semantics is reduced and the integration is enhanced,which is specifically expressed the lexical features of the four character connective form are highlighted,such as fixed structure,semantic solidification and syntactic independence.The second is the condition of lexicalization:the origin and evolution of subject-predicate generalized idioms are carried out under the interaction of phonetics,morphology,semantics,grammar and pragmatics.Specifically in phonetics,it is required to meet the surface phonetic structure of four syllables and 2+2 rhyme steps;in language form,it is necessary to express and shape the four word combination;in semantics,it needs to go through semantic transformation to obtain the grammeme meaning;in grammar,besides the subject-predicate relationship between the source morphemes,it also needs syntactic independence;in pragmatics,it needs a higher frequency and a certain period of use.The five conditions are not balanced force.Among them,pronunciation and language form are the preconditions to realize the lexicalization of subject-predicate generalized idioms.Pragmatic conditions are external,while semantic and grammatical conditions are internal.The third is the path of lexicalization:the specific path of lexicalization of subject predicate generalized idioms is as follows:sententialization>conventionalization>lexicalization,and the process of lexicalization is the process from free combination to fixed combination and then to general idiomatic combination.In the process of lexicalization,the acquisition of the grammeme meaning and the independence of syntax are the key points.The specific performance of it is the gradual foregrounded of the grammeme meaning,and the gradual backgrounded of the surface meaning of language and the origin meaning of language.It is a process in which the structure of its internal components changes from loose to close,the semantics changes from combination to integration,and the function changes from separation to integration.The fourth is the motivation and mechanism of lexicalization:the lexicalization motivation of subject-predicate generalized idioms is the need of communication.At the same time,we should follow the principles of economy,expressiveness and consistency in language use which is embodied in that we usually pursue the maximum expressive force under the restriction of economic principles under the function of conventionalization.The lexicalization mechanism of subject-predicate generalized idioms includes cognitive mechanism,reanalysis and prosodic mechanism,specifically involving chunk psychology,metonymy and metaphor,conceptual integration,decategorization,syntactic incorporation,2+2 prosodic mode and loose and tight phonological mode.The fifth is the semantic and functional evolution in the process of lexicalization:the semantic evolution of subject-predicate generalized idioms in the process of lexicalization is embodied in the loss of referential meaning,semantic abstraction,de-allusionization and the unity of extension.The specific performance of the functional evolution is that when the subject-predicate generalized four character group is a four character sentence or four character language used to state events,its syntactic structure is loose and can be syntactically operated inside,which belongs to the typical free combination of words and has not yet been lexicalized.When the subject-predicate generalization four word group is used to refer to a story or an action event,it is mainly used as the subject,object and the original attributive in the sentence,and it is syntactically embodied as a typical function of nominals.When it is used as a figurative object and a referential attribute,its descriptive features are enhanced,but it is still nominalized in a phrase,and its syntactic function is between the nominals function and the predicate function.When the grammeme meaning it acquired acts as a predicate,adverbial,complement in a sentence or independent sentence as a whole,it is syntactically embodied as a typical function of predicate.In fact,the lexicalization of subject-predicate generalized idioms is also the process of acquiring the grammeme meaning and predicate function.The chapter four to chapter six are the monographs of the whole thesis.In the process of lexicalization,the semantic and functional changes of subject-predicate generalized idioms of different story types are different.From the fourth chapter to the sixth chapter,this part investigates the lexicalization and related phenomena of subject-predicate generalized idioms by individual analysis in different story types,which constitutes the monograph of the full text.Through the specific investigation of the use and evolution of the subject-predicate generalized idioms of different story types,we find that their semantic evolution in the process of lexicalization is basically consistent with the Semantic Changing Process Hypothesis.That is to say,the descriptive semantic component is basically unchanged,the relevant semantic component moves in the process of linking other things,finally the relevant semantic component gradually falls off or even disappears,and the descriptive semantic component gradually highlights.However,the specific situation of semantic changing is not the same.Specifically,the semantic changing of subject-predicate generalized idioms in myth revolves around the expressive meaning of specific mythological stories;the semantic changing of the subject-predicate generalized idioms in historical legends is based on the story meaning of specific historical legends;and the semantic changing of subject-predicate generalized idioms in fable is based on the specific fable.It is because of different semantic basis that the semantic changing of subject-predicate generalized idioms in myth shows the characteristics of subjectivity,commonality and commendation.In the process of lexicalization,the subject-predicate generalized idioms in fable are more likely to appear in the context of metaphor to obtain the grammeme meaning.As for the evolution of syntactic function,subject-predicate generalized idioms in historical legends and subject-predicate generalized idioms in fable are roughly the same.Compared with subject-predicate generalized idioms in myth,they have more prominent descriptive features and more typical predicative functions.The specific syntactic expression is that the subject-predicate generalized idioms in myth are often used as the object of metaphor and the attribute of reference,and a few of them can be used as predicates.Due to the uneven evolution of semantics and functions,this difference in lexicalization is not only reflected in different kinds of subject-predicate generalized idioms,but also in the same kind of subject-predicate generalized idioms.The seventh chapter is the summary of the whole thesis.This part summarizes the general content and innovation of the thesis,sums up 12 questionable problems in lexicography compilation and language norms related to subject predicate generalized idioms,and finally it points out the future research direction from two aspects:the application of teaching Chinese as a second languag and the expansion of Chinese lexicalization research.