Cit-Based Comparative Study On Meaning Construction Of NNCs Between English And Chinese

There are a large number of NNCs in English and Chinese.Although their forms are simple,they imply the diversity of word-formation features and the complexity of the construction of meaning.This paper combines the semantic structure description system and CIT,analyzes and compares the word-formation features and meaning construction between English and Chinese NNCs from the perspective of form and meaning.This paper tries to find out the word-formation features of English and Chinese NNCs by constructing their forms based on the full collection of English and Chinese NNCs.It is found that ENTITY could compound with any kinds of nouns to form a NNC,ABSTRACTION could only compound with ENTITY,PROCESS could compound with ENTITY and SPACE,TIME could compound with ENTITY,SPACE could compound with ENTITY and SPACE in both English and Chinese.PROCESS could combine with PROCESS,TIME could compound with ABSTRACTION in English,but Chinese NNCs couldn't.Meanwhile,TIME can compound with PROCESS in Chinese,but English NNCs couldn't.Based on the detailed analyses of the word-formation features of English and Chinese NNCs,this paper conducts the meaning construction of English and Chinese NNCs according to the similarities and differences of word-formation features between them.It is found that the semantic construction of NNCs in English and Chinese has both the same and different points:1.NNCs formed by same word-formation features:(1)same components and same meaning construction networks,(2)different components but same integration networks.2.NNCs formed by different word-formation features:(1)different components but same meaning construction networks,(2)different components and different meaning construction networks.Regardless of which conceptual integration network is used for meaning construction of a NNC,there must be a certain semantic component relationship between the two nouns.If the semantic components of a NNC conflict with each other,then the two nouns can't be combined into a NNC.This study reveals the cognitive rules and processes behind the meaning construction of English and Chinese NNCs,and explains the reasons of the differences between English and Chinese NNCs finally.From the perspective of CIT,it has theoretical and practical significance to make a study on English and Chinese NNCs,which has both theoretical and practical significance.It not only expands the scope of the application of CIT,but also enriches the comparative study of English and Chinese NNCs,it also has some guiding significance for the generation of new words in English and Chinese,the translation of English and Chinese,and vocabulary teaching.