A Comparative Study Of English And Chinese Vague Category Identifiers

As one element of vague language, vague category identifiers are used frequently and playing an important role in human communication. This linguistic phenomenon, which is pervasive, has drawn many linguists'attention. Different approaches and discussions towards this field have been adopted. Based on the account of relevant literature at home and abroad, however, it is found that little work has been undertaken concerning the comparative studies of vague category identifiers, especially the systematic and comparative studies of vague category identifiers in the view of cognition, language structure, semantics, and functions. Besides, some studies on how this structure has been used and understood between Chinese and English have been rarely undertaken.This thesis makes a detailed investigation into the prototype category theory and ICMs, and considers them as a theoretical frame to understand vague category identifiers. In chapter three, the author analyzes the syntactic and semantic structure of vague category identifiers in Chinese and English. And based on English-Chinese Parallel Corpus Concordance, a further analysis of vague category identifiers in English and Chinese is taken to deepen the understanding of the similarities and differences between them. And it also helps people use them properly. After the analysis, three functions of vague category identifiers are listed: cognitive functions in the view of least effort and subjective vague understanding; interpersonal functions in the view of interpersonal relations and politeness; the function of enhancing expressing effects in the view of rhetoric.Vague category identifiers, as an important part of natural language, play a significant role in human communication. The analysis helps people master their usages in both Chinese and English, and deepens the understanding of them. The study on vague category identifiers sheds light on how to use vague category identifiers to achieve people's communicative goals, enhance communicators'linguistic expressiveness, improve and maintain interpersonal relations.