Contemporary Foreign Languages Studies ›› 2022, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (3): 131-139.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2022.03.015

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Zero-verbal Existential Construction: Syntactic and Semantic Features and Cognitive Interpretation

CAO Yang1,2(), TONG Jiawei1,2   

  • Online:2022-06-28 Published:2022-06-07
  • Contact: CAO Yang E-mail:377246610@qq.com

Abstract:

Zero-verbal Existential Construction is a special type of Chinese Existential Construction. This paper classifies Zero-verbal Existential Construction through the semantic relations between NPL and NP in space and explores the syntactic and semantic features of Zero-verbal Existential Construction. Specifically, Zero-verbal Existential Construction is usually formed as ‘NPL NP’ structure and it mainly includes three types: partially-occupied ‘NPL NP,’ fully-quantitative ‘NPL NP’ and all-around ‘NPL NP.’ Extreme spatiality, which is reflected in the spatiality of the scene of ‘existence’ encoded by the constructional constituents of ‘NPL NP’ structure, is the most prominent semantic feature of Zero-verbal Existential Construction. Within the framework of cognitive linguistics, this paper claims that Zero-verbal Existential Construction conforms to the principle of cognitive economy, and it is a construction based on ‘Container Schema’ and expressing the scene of ‘existence’ through the grounded quantitative structure. Due to the high degree of spatiality in Chinese and Zero-verbal Existential Construction, ‘NPL NP’ structure expressing the scene of ‘existence’ is not allowed in many other languages.

Key words: Zero-verbal Existential Construction, syntactic and semantic features, spatiality, cognitive interpretation

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