<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This article proposes an analysis of the Motion-Directional Construction in Chinese in the Conceptual-Cognitive approach as outlined by Jackendoff and Langacker. This article first argues that the Motion-Directional Construction consists of conceptual subordination, expressing different mental spaces. Then, it examines the syntactic and semantic behaviors of the construction arguing that it is more like a constructional idiom. In particular, we discuss the case of <italic>pa</italic> ‘climb’ and generalize further that the motion verbs in Chinese typically express manners of movement. Within the Conceptual Semantics, we argue that a level of grammatical relation may not be necessary; it is the argument and conceptual structures that we need in the cognitive structure. Finally, we present the data and suggest the typological relevance of the Motion-Directional Construction.</p></abstract>

This article proposes an analysis of the Motion-Directional Construction in Chinese in the Conceptual-Cognitive approach as outlined by Jackendoff and Langacker. This article first argues that the Motion-Directional Construction consists of conceptual subordination, expressing different mental spaces. Then, it examines the syntactic and semantic behaviors of the construction arguing that it is more like a constructional idiom. In particular, we discuss the case of pa ‘climb’ and generalize further that the motion verbs in Chinese typically express manners of movement. Within the Conceptual Semantics, we argue that a level of grammatical relation may not be necessary; it is the argument and conceptual structures that we need in the cognitive structure. Finally, we present the data and suggest the typological relevance of the Motion-Directional Construction.

Chinese Motion-Directional Construction: A Conceptual and Cognitive Analysis

Studies in Chinese Linguistics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"Chinese Motion-Directional Construction: A Conceptual and Cognitive Analysis"}

This article proposes an analysis of the Motion-Directional Construction in Chinese in the Conceptual-Cognitive approach as outlined by Jackendoff and...

Chinese Motion-Directional Construction: A Conceptual and Cognitive Analysis

Published Online: Dec 29, 2017

Page range: 119 - 147

Received: Jan 26, 2017

Accepted: Dec 15, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/scl-2017-0006

Keywords
subordination, directional, Parallel Architecture, construction, conceptual structure

© 2017 Ronald Fong, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Chinese Motion-Directional Construction: A Conceptual and Cognitive Analysis

Published Online: Dec 29, 2017

Page range: 119 - 147

Received: Jan 26, 2017

Accepted: Dec 15, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/scl-2017-0006

Keywordssubordination, directional, Parallel Architecture, construction, conceptual structure

© 2017 Ronald Fong, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
subordination, directional, Parallel Architecture, construction, conceptual structure