A Lexical Typology Approach To Semantic Comparison Between ‘‘Down’’ And ‘‘Xià’’

In English and Chinese,‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’are two important similar concepts.Both of them can act as different word classes such as:adverbs,adjectives,nouns,prepositions and verbs so that they both have multifunctions.Many scholars have already studied‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’and have had many fruitful achievements.However,previous studies mainly focus on one language,such as‘‘up’’and‘‘down’’in English or‘‘shàng‘up’’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’in Chinese.Not many studies have paid attention to English-Chinese comparison analysis between‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’.And studies on comparison analysis between‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’are mainly from the point of spatial metaphor.Few studies of semantic comparison between‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’are through the perspectives of lexical typology and colexification.In view of this,this paper focuses on the multifunctions of‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’.Therefore,based on the precious studies,this paper adopts collostructional analysis combined with colexcification model to answer the following questions:(1)What are the multifunctions of‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’in English and Chinese?(2)What are the colexification networks of‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’in English and Chinese?(3)What are the similarities and differences between semantics of‘‘down’’and ‘‘xià‘down’’’in English and Chinese?Here are the main findings of this paper:First,according to the analysis of collostructional strength between different verbs that can enter the construction of‘‘V+down’’and the construction itself and the analysis of the categories of the different verbs,I find that‘‘V+down’’construction has three different meanings:directional meaning,consequence meaning and metaphorical meaning in non-spatial domain,which are compatible with the results in previous studies when‘‘xià‘down’’is analysed as directional complement in‘‘V+xià‘down’’construction.Second,through retrieving data from CLICS~3(Database of Cross Linguistic Colexification),I found the concept‘‘DOWN’’has three other colexified concepts.Through analysis,I found that‘‘down’’has 37 different meanings and I constructed the colexification network of‘‘down’’in English by analysing the relations of the meanings of‘‘down’’.Through analysis,I found that‘‘xià‘down’’has 26 different meanings and I constructed the colexification network of‘‘xià‘down’’in Chinese by analysing the relations of the meanings of‘‘xià‘down’’.Third,through comparison of the different meanings of‘‘down’’and‘xià‘down’’’,I found out their semantic similarities and differences.There are a lot of similarities between different meanings of‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’,and they are mainly based on the following three aspects:the basic meaning of the concept‘‘DOWN’’,metaphors expressed by‘‘DOWN’’and the colexified concepts of‘‘DOWN’’.Through cross-linguistic study on the semantics of‘‘down’’and‘‘xià‘down’’’,this paper discusses the multifunctional semantic similarities and differences between them,and the findings make some contribution to lexical typological studies and foreign language teaching.