A Study On The Construction Of Schematic Representation Of Semantic Network For English Orientational Prefixes

In Modern English,derivation refers to the method of adding a prefix or suffix to a word base to form a new word.This process of forming words is highly productive,and its affixes are also abundant in meaning and widely used.In the field of Morphology,affixation,one of the processes within the derivation,comprises three modes:prefixation,infixation and suffixation.Based on the theory of domains,this paper mainly focuses on the semantic integration and the construction of semantic networks for English orientational prefixes.In the previous study on affixes,many researches tend to explore the basic meaning and word-forming principles of common prefixes,or focus on the word-formation of English derivational suffixes.Within the cognitive domains,the cognitive construal on orientational prefixes has not received much attention.In the light of the previous study on word formation,this paper excavates the semantic integrational mechanism that occurs in the process of constructing the meaning of English orientational prefixes by applying the Conceptual Blending Theory(CBT for short).Combined with the prefix’s prototypical and peripheral meanings,the semantic networks representing “front(start)”,“middle” and “rear(finish)” in the domain of spatiality and temporality are constructed,aiming to clarify the semantic features and distribution of these prefixes.Furthermore,the relevant findings may facilitate morphological study.This paper claims that the orientational prefixes in English can not only adjust the meanings of the derived words,but also convert the word class to some degree.From the three cognitive dimensions: domain,category,and construal,the semantic variation and representation can be better extrapolated from the macro dimensions to the micro facets and from the surface to the inside.Furthermore,the semantic distinctions of word pairs developing from the same root are compared and probed from a cognitive perspective in order to clarify the process of conceptualization and theoretical foundation while construing the meaning of words.The main findings of this study are summarized as follows:1.The paper maintains that the conceptual integration yields a strong explanatorypower in unearthing the semantic integration mechanism of morphemes.The semantics of English orientational prefixes arise from the integration of different mental spaces,and the relatively fixed lexical representations actually reflect how individuals perceive and conceptualize the world.2.Etymological perspective on the study of English orientational prefixes is broadened in this paper.English prefixes emanate from different origins.In addition to the native prefixes,they are mostly from the Latin and Greek.These prefixes denote different pragmatic functions and grammatical properties.And the productivity in forming words varies from different prefixes.3.The paper adheres to the perspective that the process of conceptualization largely determines the semantics of the derived words,and the different processes of conceptualization refract different perspectives of the speaker.Each orientational prefix features different aspects of the meaning implied by the root.In the theory of construal,the profile-base theory is amenable to the semantic analysis of some derivative words related to the orientational prefixes,for the reason that this theory clarifies the reason why the semantic function of an orientational prefix is ??profiled.4.The paper applies the conceptual integration model to construct semantic integrational networks of English orientational prefixes,which visualizes the intangible abstract lexical processing.It may be considered as a reference path for digging up the semantic integration relationship of English affixes and roots.5.On the basis of constructing a semantic integrational network,this paper constructs a semantic network for English orientational prefixes in terms of their semantic distributions,which enables language learners to understand the range of prefixal semantic configuration and the chain relationship of semantic development within a prefix.In addition,the semantic evolution of a prefix is further represented as a whole.6.The paper establishes a schematic representation continuum for English orientational prefixes within the domain of spatiality and temporality in order to delineate the spatial-temporal relations and positions indicated by these prefixes,which provides references for the research and application of prefixes.Detecting the motivation and principles covered in English vocabularies is beneficial for the acquisition,application and teaching of English vocabulary.