| The case studies towards some marginal language phenomena play veryimportant roles in the linguistic research. They describe the features of the languagestructures in great detail and expose the motivations of the language production andusage. Also, they drive us to reevaluate the importance of the grammar and to explorethe relation between language and cognition. The present target is the Chineseconstruction named quan dou(全都)… zhi you(只有)… construction (QZ construction)in this paper. Based on the previous studies, this paper attempts to give it an overalldescription and analyze it from the perspective of cognitive linguistics and pragmatics.The inseparable and asymmetrical relation between the two clauses, the cognitivereason for the literal contradiction and the particular pragmatic function are exploredunder this approach. Moreover, the data collected in this paper prove that thisconstruction is acceptable despite its ungrammatical nature.Yu Genyuan (1982), Xu Shenghuan (2010), Wu Bingzhang (2010), Yuan Yulinand Wang Minghua (2011) have discussed this construction in their papers. Yu (1982)claims its legitimacy in natural language. Xu (2010) propounds that it takes theadvantage of the tolerance mechanism of the generic sentences. Wu (2010) and Yuan&Wang (2011) hold that the default reasoning is of importance to the understandingof the literal contradiction. But their interpretation ignores the setoff function of theformer clause in this construction.In the present research, this kind of sentences is viewed as a construction andtherefore, the inseparability of the two clauses is easier to be explained. According toGoldberg’s Construction Grammar, the present target is qualified as a construction.First, it is the pairing of form and function, that is, the pairing of “universalaffirmative/negative clause+particular negative/affirmative clause” and the function of prominence. Second, the appearance of the second clause is totally unpredictable.In this construction, the lexicon expressing the meaning of quan dou and zhi you isopen and quan dou… zhi you…is a typical member among the series of thesentences.The main theoretical foundation is Talmy’s Figure/Ground theory. In theunmarked QZ construction, the former and the latter clause are the Ground and Figurerespectively. They act as an inseparable whole while they are asymmetrical. As for theuniversal reference in the former clause, it is actually produced due to the closuretendency and the continuative principle. Therefore, the literal contradiction is inessence the contrast between the subjective whole and the objective exception. In themarked QZ construction, the exception locates at the bottom of the particular scale.Driven by the scalar reasoning, the latter clause which should be the Figure of theunmarked form becomes the Ground. Meanwhile, the former clause becomes theFigure. Therefore, the marked QZ construction has the Figure-Ground distribution inthe end. The marked forms evolve from the unmarked ones and enrich the usage ofthis construction.The QZ construction is often used in the literary works and the dailyconversation. It is the language fact and it cannot be labeled “the ill-formedsentences”. Compared with its alternative expressions, the QZ construction has thepragmatic function of counter-expectation which makes the Figure more prominent.Furthermore, the universal reference strengthens the feeling and attitude expressed bythe speaker and makes the QZ construction has the advantage in delivering subjectiveelements. |
PDF Full Text Request