A Study Of Ai X Bu X Construction In Modern Chinese Within The Framework Of Interactive Model

In modern Chinese,the use of ai X bu X is ubiquitous,such as"爱理不理","爱听不听","爱来不来","爱买不买"and so on.Some researches have analyzed ai X bu X construction from the perspectives of different linguistic theories.However,in general,there are still some gaps left in the systematic analysis of the ai X bu X construction.Most of the researches are carried out in terms of its grammaticalization,inheritance,subjectivity,lexicalization and syntactic function,but the cognitive mechanism behind this construction is less involved.According to the definition of the modern Chinese ai X bu X construction,this thesis first searches the data from the corpus of Centre for Chinese Linguistics PKU.After screening,196 words used in the slot of "X" in ai X bu X construction were obtained as the source of the corpus of this thesis.Through reviewing and analyzing related researches of the construction ai X bu X,this thesis attempts to take as its main concern the cognitive mechanism.To explore the cognitive mechanism,the thesis,from the perspective of cognitive linguistics,puts forward an Interactive Model integrating Langacker’s Cognitive Grammar and Goldberg’s Construction Grammar.Within the framework of the Interactive Model,the author argues that it is the construction that coerces its components,and its components make some response to the coercion of the construction,and even the components themselves interact with each other.Moreover,the author uses this model to explore the constructional meaning and cognitive mechanism of the ai X bu X construction.Based on the analysis of the collected data,in terms of the ai X bu X construction,this thesis proves that the Interaction Model mainly works in the following aspects:As for the function of ai X bu X construction in meaning construction,ai X bu X construction coerces its composition.that is to say,the construction as a whole coerces the coordinate framework "ai...bu..." and the variable "X".In other words,the construction coerces the semantic features of the components "ai" and "bu" of the coordinate framework,and the semantic features and the word class of the variable "X".It is observed that almost all the words that can enter the slot "X" are verbs,and only a few adjectives,prepositions,pronouns,mimetic words can also enter the construction,but all words that enter the slot "X" will be coerced,thus having action-selective meaning.So far as the contributions from the components to the meaning construction of the whole sentence is concerned,the coordinate framework formed by "ai" and "bu" and the variable "X" have some impact on the construction,which is manifested in two aspects.First,the coordinate framework "ai...bu..." affects the relationship between "ai X" and "bu X".It can be used to indicate a coordinate adversative relationship(corresponding to type A)or a coordinate selective relationship(corresponding to type B).The meaning of the coordinate framework "ai...bu..." is different,thus the meaning of the construction is different.Second,the meaning of the construction differs with the uses of the variable Xes.As a result,the ai X bu X construction becomes a high-level schematic construction.When different Xes go into the slots,it will become a specific instantial construction which manifests the high productivity and polysemy of the construction.In terms of the relationship between its components,the coordinate framework "ai...bu..." interacts and merges with the variable "X".In the whole composite construction,the frame "ai...bu..." is a profile determinant which determines the profiled meaning of ai X bu X construction.The frame "ai...bu..." refers to a certain tendency."ai" and "bu" each provides an elaboration site,and the variable "X" gives an elaboration to it.All in all,the interactions of these three aspects form the constructional meaning of ai X bu X: the implantation of the frame "ai...bu..." profiles a certain tropism of "X".that is to say,the constructional meaning of ai X bu X construction features the tendency of a certain behavior,either negative or positive.