A Study On The Scope Construction Of "X+(de)+L" In Modern Chinese

Based on a large amount of corpus, this paper makes specific analysis of theconstructive meaning, semantic category type, syntax function and configuration formas well as the evolution and construction of “X+(de)+L” in Modern Chinese. Theauthor employs a lot of research methods and combines them together: such assynchronic and diachronic, descriptive and explanative, qualitative and quantitative,deductive and inductive, and uses different theories like Construction Grammar,Categorization, Grammaticalization and Cognitive Linguistics to conduct this study.Firstly, the author observes the construction of “X+(de)+L” and finds it has fourbasic forms:“X+(de)+L”bian/mian/tou/fang/bu“lei”；“X+L“zhi”lei”；“X+L"yi"lei”；“X+Ldan”. Basedon it, there are another three transformations: expansion type, abbreviation type andconcurrence type.Secondly, from the lexical part of grammatical aspect, the constituent “X” hasmany parts of speech such as noun, verb, adverb, pronoun, measure word andattributive word. From the hierarchy of grammatical unit, there are word and phrase.From the syntax function,“X” can be subject, object, attributive and adverbial, and itcan not be predicate and complement at general conditions.Thirdly, this paper analyzes the constructive meaning of “X+(de)+L”, which hasfour types: the construction of point-line type (the range of this construction means“X” is the point of reference with “L” pointing the direction); the construction ofdistrict type (the range of this construction is “X” itself or part of it); the constructionof exclude type (the range of this construction is the remaining part when removing“X” from a bigger range); the construction of combination type (the range of thisconstruction is the combination of several parts).Fourthly, the construction of “X+(de)+L” can represent such semantic categoriesas the range of time, number, thing, people, grade level as well as informativemedium.In the end, according to diachronic corpus collected, this paper analyzes its formation and evolution of “X+(de)+L"bian/mian/tou/fang/bu"lei” from the perspective ofdiachronic development, and finds this construction formed in the period of Wei Jinsouthern and Northern Dynasty;“X+L"zhi"lei” formed after the Medieval Age;“X+L"yi"lei” construction formed in Tang and Song Dynasty. The semantic category of thistype of construction has evolved from the range of time, number, people, grade level,thing, as well as the extended scope of informative medium evolution. During theexpanded range of “X”,semantic attenuation of “L” and direction metaphor has playeda crucial role in the evolution process.