A Cognitive-Pragmatic Study On The "Degree Adverb+Noun" Construction

The research on the language phenomenon of "Degree Adverb+Noun" falls into two main categories:(1)the debate on whether adverbs can modify nouns,and(2)the description and explanation of the "Adverb+ Noun" phenomenon.The research has mainly focused on the explanation of the rationality of the "Adverb+ Noun" combination,as well as the semantic and grammatical functions of this phenomenon.Due to the limitations of theoretical frameworks and the introspective approach,the cognitive mechanisms and pragmatic functions underlying such phenomena have not been thoroughly investigated.Additionally,the interpretation of the subjective stance of such constructions in language use remains unexplored.It is,therefore,the focus of this study to explore how to identify the implicature of the "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction in language use in order to interpret its subjective stances,attitudes and emotions.From a cognitive-pragmatic perspective,this study focused on the modern Chinese"Degree Adverb+Noun" construction.More specifically,the following questions have been addressed:(1)What are the cluster relations of the degree adverbs that collocate with nouns in the"Degree Adverb+Noun" construction?(2)What are the conditions under which nouns can enter the "Degree Adverb+Noun"construction and what is their collocation strength with degree adverbs?(3)What are the mechanisms behind the formation of subjective meaning in the "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction?(4)What roles do cognitive and pragmatic factors play in the interpretation of the subjective meaning of "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction?From the cognitive-pragmatic perspective,this study employed both collostructional analysis and quantitative methods to calculate the strength of collocation between nouns and degree adverbs in the "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction.Additionally,the study examined the forms and frequency of specific nouns in the grammatical slots of these constructions.Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to investigate the cluster relationship of degree adverbs in the "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction.The aim was to uncover the underlying rules of these constructions and to provide data to support further discussion on the formation and interpretation of the subjective meaning of the "Degree Adverb+Noun"construction.The findings show that:(1)in previous literature,degree adverbs were classified based on their grammatical function.However,this study discovered through cluster analysis that degree adverbs exhibit different cluster orders and strengths depending on the similarity of noun collocation items.This finding suggests that the category types of degree adverbs differs from the division of relative and absolute degree adverbs that previous studies had focused on.Subj ect to the constraints of pragmatics and genre,degree adverbs can be roughly divided into two categories:objective degree comparison and subjective stance expression;(2)Not all nouns can enter the "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction to express the subjective stance of the speaker.Those that do usually have the semantic features of[+nature]and[+emotion]are used to highlight the meaning of a feature contained in the noun.The slot for nouns in the"Degree Adverb+Noun" construction is open,and new coined items are constantly being inserted into such constructions.While this combination may seem temporary,it actually has a practical basis.It is argued that a mere semantic interpretation of such constructions cannot adequately capture the true meaning conveyed by the proposition.Therefore,it is necessary to reexamine the main purpose of the speaker’s or author’s use of such constructions from both cognitive and pragmatic perspectives;(3)Construction coercion cannot fully explain the formation of the subjective meaning of the "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction.This construction is also constrained by pragmatic factors.In contrast to studies that focus on the(meaning)coercion of lexical items from constructions,it is proposed that the effect of construction coercion in the formation of "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction is not only limited to the coercion of meaning,but also extends to the coercion between constructions and lexical items.Furthermore,this coercion should be further examined from a pragmatic perspective.This study also presents a viewpoint that differs from previous research.Additionally,metonymy also plays a role in the formation of constructions by establishing the relevance between utterance and context.It enhances the message of an utterance by incorporating subjective meanings,such as the speaker’s attitude and stance,into the utterance.This highlights the subjective intention of the speaker;(4)The subjective evaluative meaning expressed by the "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction is based on the speaker’s emotions,stances,and attitudes towards events and propositions.The intensity of subjective evaluative meaning depends on the speaker’s own emotions,pragmatic purposes and discursive intentions.The interpretation of subjective meanings of such constructions is achieved by the cognitive subject through the combined effect of cognitive and pragmatic factors.Among these factors,relevance is the prerequisite,cognitive interaction between the speaker and listener plays a dominant role,construction coercion is the cause of construction meaning,pragmatic coercion is the trigger of metonymy,and metonymy serves as both the motivation and approach for interpreting subjective meaning.Additionally,contextual constraints and reasoning are deemed necessary conditions for achieving the interpretation of subjective meaning.The exploration of the constructive and interpretative processes of the subjective meaning of the "Degree Adverb+Noun" construction not only helps us understand the mechanism for interpreting the subjective meanings of Chinese constructions,but also provides a more comprehensive explanation for the interpretation of subjective meanings of constructions.This fills the gap left by the previous studies that only interpreted it from a single perspective.Furthermore,it also has some enlightening significance for understanding the subjective meaning of Chinese constructions in the context of teaching Chinese as a foreign language.This is particularly important for understanding the speaker’s subjective stance,attitude,and emotions that are conveyed through Chinese constructions.