A Study On Comparison Of Chinese—English Visual Verbs’ Category Structure And L2 Acquisition

Visual verbs are commonly used in both Chinese and English, which also show their plenty and complexity in semantic through usage. Applying for the Categorization Theory of Cognitive Linguistic, based on the statistics and analysis of Chinese and English corpora, this study tries to reconstruct the semantic category structure of both Chinese and English visual verbs, and then comparatively analyse this two category structures. Based on the conclusion above, the study will focus on the L2 acquisition of Chinese visual verbs Kan and Jian.The Chinese corpora in this study is mainly based on Mordern Chinese Corpus System for Native Chinese Speakers, the Chinese Inter-language Corpus for Foreign Learners & HSK Dynamic and Circulating Chinese Corpus for Foreign Learners, all of the corpora are developed by Beijing Language and Culture University. The English corpora is mainly based on Collins and Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary. Based on the statistics and analysis of Chinese-English corpora,according to the Categorization Theory of Cognitive Linguistic, and drawing on the research results of Chinese-English visual verbs, the study tries to reconstruct the semantic category structure of both Chinese and English visual verbs, comparatively analysing this two category structures, and then based on the conclusion above, the study will focus on the L2 acquisition. The conclusions of our study:(1) Chinese-English visual verbs exert two ways in terms of sub-categorizations: radiation and catenulate. The members in the category structures are unequal, according to the connection degree with the prototype, they are divided into edge-members and sub-edge-members, together composing the multivocal category structures.(2) The extend of semantic category structure of this two languages is similar, both show the development of the semantic from sight to psychology and then to psychosocial behavior. The ways of semantic extending is similar, the trend of subjective is commonly existed, metaphor and metonymy are the two ways of thinking used in varying degrees.(3) The expression of sub-categorizations of visual verbs in two langages are highly correspond, most of the sub-categorizations can find corresponding expression in the other language. Meanwhile, because of the reasonable degree of differences in cognition among different nations, the expression of sub-categorizations in two langages also has a reasonable degree of diffrernces.(4) In the sub-categorizations of Chinese-English visual verbs, the selection of words are different, forming the dis-corresponding-relation among words, which also brings difficulties to language learners.(5) L2 acquisition of Kan is better than Jian, the factors which enfluence L2 acquisition of Chinese visual verbs are: the similarity degree of category structures in two languages, the abstractness degree of the semantic, overseas students’ Chinese proficiency, the utilization rate of category structures in target language. Besides, the dis-corresponding-relation among words in Chinese-English expression of category structures, the negative effect of native language and target language and the particularity of Chinese words in syntactic structure, these can all cause errors in the usage of language by overseas students.(6) In view of the teaching of Chinese words Kan and Jian, we can reference to the utilization rate of their category structures in target language and the the connection degree between sub-categorizations and central-categorization in terms of the semantic. Teachers can improve the teaching arrangement and teaching emphases according to the above two aspects and students’ Chinese proficiency.