Article published in:
The interface of semantics & etymology, morpho-syntax, and pragmatics in ChineseEdited by Jeeyoung Peck
[Language and Linguistics 20:2] 2019
► pp. 180–224
From caused-motion to spatial configuration
Placement verbs in Mandarin
Meichun Liu | City University of Hong Kong
Juiching Chang | City University of Hong Kong
This study re-examines Mandarin Placement verbs from a lexical-constructional perspective and redefines the class
with semantic-to-syntactic properties pertaining to lexicalization patterns in Mandarin. It aims to show that Placement verbs
lexicalize a cognitively salient causal chain that extends from an agentive motion to locational change and to resultant spatial
configuration. The event chain serves as the conceptual basis for linking motion-triggered events and states that are
syntactically distinct in profiling the three contingent stages: caused to move → caused to be → spatially grounded. Although
English Placement verbs (put, hang, etc.) are typically taken to be exemplars of the caused-motion construction, this study shows
that Placement verbs may be distinguished syntactically and semantically from pure Caused-Motion verbs and posture-based Spatial
Configuration verbs. While the three classes of verbs may be viewed as demonstrating respectively the individuated stages of the
proposed event chain, Placement verbs are the only class that encompasses all three event types in their meanings and are
associated with a wide range of semantically compatible constructions. The three stages are discussed with graphical
representations and collocational distinctions. Further sub-classifications of the Mandarin Placement verbs are provided with
different semantic profiles for each subclass. Crucial to the analysis is the fact that location-profiled uses of Placement verbs
outnumber path-profiled uses in Mandarin, indicating a categorical shift from motional to locational predication. By teasing out
the language-specific and class-specific lexicalization patterns that are collo-constructionally definable, the study demonstrates
the usefulness of a lexical-constructional approach in fine-tuning verbal semantic distinctions for cross-linguistic and
cross-categorial comparisons.
Keywords: Placement verbs in Mandarin, caused motion, spatial configuration, causal chain, lexical-constructional approach
Published online: 05 April 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/lali.00034.liu
https://doi.org/10.1075/lali.00034.liu
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