A Comparative Study On The Semantic Relation Of Middle Construction Between English And Chinese

Middle voice, which is opposite to passive voice and active voice, is an universal concept in the world and both in English and Chinese, there exist middle construction expressing the middle concept. Its essence is to express passive meaning with active form. The thesis makes a comparative study of semantic relations of the middle construction between Chinese and English from the perspective of. semantics. Based upon the analysis of propositional structure of middle construction, the thesis aims at exploring semantic features of constituents and their ways of matching of middle construction in English and Chinese so as to discover its essence.The thesis firstly defines Middle construction by the comparison with passive construction and ergative construction. It then divides middle construction into two types based on the [±SENSE] semantic features on its verbs, respectively. It is followed by comparative analysis of propositional structure of middle construction of two types between English and Chinese, respectively, discovering that propositional structures are the same both among two types and between Chinese and English. Each one consists of two propositions,"someone VPs NP" and "NP has a property to VP AP". Based upon analysis of propositional structure, together with method of semantic componential analysis, the thesis analyzes semantic features of constituents of middle construction and their ways of matching. The findings are as follows: The Way semantic features match is the same between Chinese and English and among two types in two respective languages. NP、VP and VP have some same semantic features in two languages, respectively. NP in both has [±ANIMATE][-AGENT] semantic features in those with verb having [+SENSE] while in sentences where verbs have [-SENSE], NP has [-ANIMATE,-AGENT] semantic features. VP in both languages shares the semantic features of [-STATE, pro]; AP has [-VOLITIONAL] semantic feature. Matching of VP [-STATE,] and NP[-AGENT] ensures that the fist proposition" SOMEONE VP NP" express a regular and habitual event, which forms the foundation of middle construction. NP in sentences with verb having [+SENSE] has[±ANIMATE]semantic feature, for it emphasizes stable physical property while NP with [-ANIMATE] also expresses relatively stable function or social property. AP[-VOLITIOANL] can decrease the role of agent, so AP and NP matches and it verifies the second proposition "NP has a property to VP AP". Therefore, the shared semantic features as well as their way of matching are the essence of middle construction, expressing its meaning of state. Middle construction in two types is a little different. In sentences with verb having [+SENSE], NP can take [±ANIMATE] semantic features, VP[+SENSE], and AP[-VOLITIONA][-EMOTION]. In those with [-SENSE] semantic feature, NP has [-ANIMATE] semantic feature, giving prominence to function or value. VP’s [-STATE] is greatly decreased by state meaning of the whole sentence, especially those in which AP has [+STATE], which in turn proves that middle construction has strong state meaning. AP has [-VOLITIONAL] semantic feature.