| The present thesis aims to explain and analyze the cognitive mechanism of oblique object constructions like “chi shitang”(eating at the canteen)in modern Chinese.The oblique object constructions discussed in this paper refer to the structures in which the object position is occupied against norms by those oblique nominals such as tool,mode,time,etc rather than object nouns.This study aims to answer the question of how the oblique expressions such as “chi shitang” and “chi wapian” are dynamically conceptualized under the view of the idealized cognitive model(ICM)through its four structural principles.The process of dynamic conceptualization is achieved through the four structural principles,and these four structural principles include the propositional structure principle,the image schema principle,the metaphorical mapping principle,and the metonymic mapping principle.The oblique object expression is used widely in modern Chinese for its novelty.The structure of it seems ungrammatical so it is unique and complex in organization.Many studies of the oblique object construction have been done but confined to syntactic and semantic feature analysis,metonymy,“the inference of the primary structure”,and“applicative categories”.However,the psychological operation process of the generation,the cognitive mechanism of semantic conceptualization,the motivation of collocation,and the way of realization of the oblique object structure need to be further and deeply explored and excavated.In addition,some scholars have investigated the conditions for the survival of the oblique object construction and tried to re-structure the sentence pattern through movement and preposition fusion,in order to make the construction accord with the typical verb-object grammar.However,they have ignored the process of psychological operation,conceptualization,and the cognitive mechanism in the generative process of the structure.Because of the shortcomings shown in the existing research,this study intends to solve the following three problems:First,What is the cognitive mechanism in the process of constructing the “Chi X(吃X)” type oblique object construction?Second,What is the specific psychological process of the semantic conceptualization of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object structure under the four structural principles of the idealized cognitive model?Third,What inspiration does the semantic structure of the “Chi X(吃 X)” structure bring about for the collocation of other quasi-oblique object structures?To answer the above questions,this paper,inspired by the previous literature on the oblique object structure,aims to integrate the theories of the Idealized Cognitive Model,the Cognitive Reference Point Relationship and other related theories in Cognitive Grammar based on Cognitive Semantics,and to construct a theoretical framework to analyze the cognitive mechanism of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type structure,describing the formal and semantic characteristics of the structure.With the help of the framework,the research intends to uncover the distributive characteristics of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object structure in light of the cognitive model of the proposition type,the structural image schema features,the conditional features of cognitive models through metaphorical mapping and metonymic mapping,and the interaction of these features in this integrated continuum.Further exploration will be made into the mechanism of psychological construction in the process of the generation of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object structure.The research methodology adopted in this paper is mainly qualitative,using both inductive and deductive methods in analysis and synthesis.The research questions are sorted out based on the previous studies on the “Chi X(吃 X)” structure.The perspective adopted in this paper is different from either the metonymic perspective used in the past which aims to sort out the semantic relationship of verb-noun structures or the movement view of the generative grammar which tries to explain the position of the oblique nouns in this structure.Instead,the four structural principles of the Idealized Cognitive Model theory are used to explain the cognitive mechanism of this kind of speech phenomenon,represented by the “chi shitang”,which looks like a form and meaning mismatch.Based on this research direction,the research conclusion of this paper is that the generation of oblique objects is the result of multiple cognition of the Idealized Cognitive Model.The four structural principles used in the Idealized Cognitive Model,including the propositional structure principle,the image schema principle,the metaphorical mapping principle,and the metonymic mapping principle,are the conceptual prerequisites for the generation of the oblique object structure.The corresponding relationship between oblique objects and verbs is derived from the Gestalt of the cluster model composed of many single cognitive models.Its generation motivation is the change of the highlight of the psychological subject’s cognitive model cluster.Through the direct association with a certain context and the abstract conceptual prototype in encyclopedic knowledge,practical experience makes them appear together repeatedly to form a schema,and based on the existing structural schema.Metonymic mapping carries a cluster of cognitive models that are accessible and highlighted by the cognitive reference point relationship in the oblique object structure from the source domain of metaphorical mapping to the target domain,and the concept is externalized lastly.Based on the previous relevant statements and linguistic facts of the oblique object structure,this paper constructs a theoretical model and uses this model to explain and analyze the psychological processing process and cognitive mechanism of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type structure in detail,and then excavates the rules and characteristics of its semantic conceptualization construction,and provides some new methods and ideas for the research of other verb object structures in modern Chinese.The findings of this study are as follows:First,the generation of the “Chi X(吃 X)” oblique object structure is the result of multiple cognition of the Idealized cognitive model under the view of the cognitive reference point.The collocation of the verb “eat” and its subsequent object “X” has significant syntactic and semantic characteristics.The verb “eat” can be collocated not only with the patient element of it but also with the non-patient element.The strong collocation ability of “Chi X(吃 X)” and its rich semantic tension and pragmatic vitality are due to the existence of many complex clusters of cognitive models related to the prototype concept of “Chi X(吃 X)” in the proposition structure of the “Chi X(吃 X)”type oblique object structure.These clusters of models are subcategory target prototypes in specific contexts accessible under the function of the cognitive reference point of abstract concepts.They are hierarchically distributed around the prototype model.The cognitive model clusters in the propositional structure are not separated from each other,but related to each other.The conceptualized subject can access any set of cognitive model clusters through cognitive reference points based on prototype concepts.Idealized Cognitive Models in specific contexts are stored in our conceptual structure in a cluster precipitation way,and they will be activated with prototype concepts.Second,the semantic conceptualization of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object structure is an interconnected network under the action of the four structural principles of the idealized cognitive model.The semantic model of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object structure is a chain-like schema with “Chi X(吃 X)” as the conceptual prototype,the center and edge of which are interrelated,and each semantic item derives a lot of collocation items through the different highlights of the semantic features of its prototype semantic items.Driven by the specific context and encyclopedic knowledge implanted,the conceptualized subject will be accessible from the cognitive reference point relationship and highlights a specific set of cognitive model clusters.At the same time,other cognitive model clusters will disappear and weaken.Under the constant repeated action of real situations,the schema is structured,which is the basis for metonymy to carry the highlighted cognitive model cluster into the source domain of metaphor mapping.The polysemy of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object structure stems from the transformation of image schema caused by the prominent cognitive model carried by metonymic mapping,and the accessing and highlighting of certain cognitive model clusters by cognitive reference points,which makes the expression legitimacy absolute.The prominent model cluster and the abstract prototype conceptual model constitute a certain structural image schema,which is topologically mapped into the target domain through the source domain of metaphor.Finally,the concept is externalized.The verb“eat” and the oblique object “X” has the characteristics of two-way mutual selection.In the prototype sense of “Chi X(吃 X)” collocation,the verb is the core component of the whole composite structure and is the lateral determinant of the composite structure.The semantic meaning of the whole “Chi X(吃 X)” structure is also limited to the scope of selecting the nominal object with which it is collocated based on the semantic characteristics of the verb “eat”.In the “Chi X(吃 X)” collocation of non-prototype meanings,the oblique object has a restrictive effect on the semantics of the whole composite structure,and the role of verbs as lateral determinants has been weakened.The oblique object shows the semantic characteristics of highlighting the cognitive model cluster,and there are restrictions on the choice of verbs to match with it.The collocation of the verb “eat” and the oblique object “X” is restricted by the internal and external motivations of the language.The internal factors are the economy of the language and the nature of the language structure;External factors include social and cultural development,technological progress of the times,changes in people’s communication methods and people’s psychological aspirations,and so on.The internal motivation of language provides a certain practical basis and basic collocation conditions because of its collocation,while the external motivation makes it subjective and social nature.They jointly influence and promote the semantic dynamic derivation and evolution of the expression “Chi X(吃 X)”.Thirdly,the construction process of semantic conceptualization of the “Chi X(吃X)” type oblique object structure has enlightenment on the semantic generation of word collocation,the teaching of word collocation,and related theoretical issues.1)The cognitive mechanism of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type structure and its psychological operation rules and characteristics have certain relevance and universality.As with the semantic construction process of the “chi shitang”,when other non-typical oblique semantic components representing tools,methods,and time enter the expression,the semantic generation process,under the influence of implanted situational information,highlights the corresponding cognitive model cluster from the cognitive reference point relationship,forming a certain structural schematic psychological representation.2)The case study on the cognitive mechanism of “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object expressions has a certain guiding significance for the teaching of word collocation.In the teaching process,the new word collocation knowledge is input repeatedly to form a schema,which is given meaning and linked to the known,forming a profound psychological representation.Secondly,it is also necessary to integrate the language knowledge related to the oblique object expression with situational factors such as the interaction between the speaker and the listener,social and cultural knowledge,and encyclopedic knowledge.Finally,it is also necessary to pay attention to the improvement and teaching of the breadth and depth of the oblique object expression collocation.3)The analysis of the cognitive mechanism of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type structure has certain enlightenment on the related theoretical problems of other types of oblique object expressions.(a)On the whole,the formation of the oblique object expression is regarded as a cognitive problem and a conceptual problem.(b)The prominence of the cognitive model cluster of the expression synthesis structure lies not only in the accessibility of the cognitive reference point relationship,but also in the promotion of the implicit or explicit specific situational factors and encyclopedic knowledge of the speakers and listeners,and the accessibility and prominence of certain cognitive model clusters by the cognitive reference point relationship,so that the legalization of language expressions is absolute.(c)The generation of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object structure originates from the semantic conceptual connection of the cognitive model highlighted in the proposition structure of verbs and oblique objects from the ICM perspective,and the interpretation of the substructure highlighted by the abstract verb gestalt structure by the cognitive model cluster of the oblique object subcategory structure,and the transformation of the image schema of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object structure caused by the expansion mechanism of metaphorical and metonymic mapping.This study uses the idealized cognitive model to integrate the cognitive reference point relationship to construct an analysis framework of the Idealized Cognitive Reference Point Relationship Model.It focuses on exploring the cognitive mechanism of the generation of the “Chi X(吃 X)” type oblique object structure,revealing its semantic construction process,and providing cognitive rationale for the basic syntactic encoding and syntactic and semantic features of oblique object expressions.The study enriches and refines the study of oblique object sentences,and has certain reference values for teaching Chinese as a foreign language and compiling textbooks. |
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