Attributive Semantic Analysis

As an important and special element in a sentence, attributes are of great importance in grammatical research and teaching. This thesis will devote a discussion about attributes semantically from the following four aspects.Firstly, the thesis analyzes the sense relationship between attributes and other elements. It's known that attributes modify central words and there are two kinds of attributes: modifying attributes and defining attributes; however, when examined in detail, there exist many kinds of complicated relationships between attributes and centre-words; in addition, attributes have some special usage, which can not be summarized in the relationships mentioned above, to express specific meaning.Secondly, the paper analyzes attributes from the point of alteration of their semantical roles. This part makes an investigation on the role transforming from attributes to other elements, namely, subjects, predicates, objects and adverbials. Respectively, attributes become more important in the phrase of the first transformation; and they are used as predicates when it comes to the alternation of predicates; then as for objects transforming, the dynamism of verbs weakens and when the last, adverbial transformation, is concerned, attributes embody the semantic expression.Thirdly, the thesis is devoted to the research of semantic reference of attributes. As the most special semantic research, that about semantic reference goes further and further in recent years, especially that of adverbials and complements; at the same time, more and more grammar linguists tend to pay much more attention to the research about semantic reference of attributes. Attributes do not only refer to central words, predicates, objects, other attributes and something beyond sentences, even to void. There are still various situations in the above aspects. Because of the complexion of the semantic reference, when an attribute refers to one element or another, ambiguity arises.Finally, this dissertation carries out examination on ambiguity about attributes or attributive phrases. This part sums up ten lands of attributive ambiguous structures,then goes a step further to analyze the restrictive factors of ambiguity and makes research on the influence of ambiguous sentences.In addition, the preface reviews the historic evolution of the definition of attributes. All in all, the above analysis and discussion of attributes is expected to be helpful to the further semantic research of attributes and other linguistic problems concerning attributes thoroughly.