The English Middle Construction (EMC), as a piculiar syntactic structure, shares its semantic features, but diversifies in its syntactic configuration compared with other languages. This paper tries to have a contrast...The English Middle Construction (EMC), as a piculiar syntactic structure, shares its semantic features, but diversifies in its syntactic configuration compared with other languages. This paper tries to have a contrast study of the Middle Construcitons between English and Chinese and find the two languages share the same semantic features that the incompatibility between the semantic quantitatives (SQs) of the Adverb (Adjunct in the syntactic term) and the SQs of the Verb denoted by the predicate of MC leads to the deactivization of the predicate by means of the Adjunct, functioning as a quantitative device, assign delimitation to the predicate, hence ensures the grammaticality of the construction. But syntatically, we agree that the NP Movement Approach accounts for the formation of EMC, while we argue in Chinese it is the verb raising that results in the MC. This paper first represents the structural representation of the English Middle Construction; then the structural analysis is elaborated in comparison with that in Chinese, based on the previous studies; and finally the motivations of the Ecs in the perspective of syntactic and semantic functions are explored and hence a new hypothesis is raised to probe the similar construction in Chinese.展开更多
Since the Keyser and Roeper,English middle construction(EMC)has attracted the linguists successfully with its complex syntactic and semantic features.The essential feature of EMC is active in syntactic form and passiv...Since the Keyser and Roeper,English middle construction(EMC)has attracted the linguists successfully with its complex syntactic and semantic features.The essential feature of EMC is active in syntactic form and passive in semantic meaning.Semantically,EMC is characterized by non-eventivity,genericity,agentivity and modality.Syntactically,the argument of EMC sentence is the internal argument of the verb,and the verb usually takes the modifier of an adverb or modal verb.Due to the complexity of EMC,many English learners encounter some difficulties in learning the second language.Based on Construction Grammar,this paper mainly investigates the following questions:first,is the learners’acquisition on EMC related to their English proficiency?Second,for typical and untypical EMC,which one is more difficult for them to learn?According to the research objectives,the research finally selects 32 valid papers and divides the subjects into advanced and elementary groups according to their scores in CET-6 and TEM-8,and R Studio is adopted to analyze their acquisition of EMC.The research results show that:first,the learners’acquisition on EMC is related to their English proficiency.Second,for typical and untypical EMC,both of them acquire typical EMC better than the untypical one,so the typical EMC is more difficult for the them to learn.展开更多
Although the middle construction has attracted significant attention from syntacticians, its identity still remains controversial and it is not treated as a separate grammatical category in any English learner＇s dict...Although the middle construction has attracted significant attention from syntacticians, its identity still remains controversial and it is not treated as a separate grammatical category in any English learner＇s dictionary. This article, based on the data collected from three English learner＇s dictionaries, investigates the middle construction in terms of its syntactic and semantic properties and the constraints on its use. It shows that the three learner＇s dictionaries treat the middle construction in inconsistent and problematic manners. The middle use of a verb is not distinguished from either transitive verbs with an implicit object or intransitive verbs, which may hinder English learners＇ acquisition of the construction. The article proposes that middle verbs should be treated as a separate subcategory of verbs on a par with transitive and intransitive verbs so that learners will become more aware of them and learn to use them correctly.展开更多
Over the past two years,China has promoted the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road（Belt and Road Initiative）for developing international trade and enhancing the connectivi...Over the past two years,China has promoted the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road（Belt and Road Initiative）for developing international trade and enhancing the connectivity of infrastructure in countries along the routes. Energy cooperation is one of the fundamental aspects of the initiative.展开更多
文摘The English Middle Construction (EMC), as a piculiar syntactic structure, shares its semantic features, but diversifies in its syntactic configuration compared with other languages. This paper tries to have a contrast study of the Middle Construcitons between English and Chinese and find the two languages share the same semantic features that the incompatibility between the semantic quantitatives (SQs) of the Adverb (Adjunct in the syntactic term) and the SQs of the Verb denoted by the predicate of MC leads to the deactivization of the predicate by means of the Adjunct, functioning as a quantitative device, assign delimitation to the predicate, hence ensures the grammaticality of the construction. But syntatically, we agree that the NP Movement Approach accounts for the formation of EMC, while we argue in Chinese it is the verb raising that results in the MC. This paper first represents the structural representation of the English Middle Construction; then the structural analysis is elaborated in comparison with that in Chinese, based on the previous studies; and finally the motivations of the Ecs in the perspective of syntactic and semantic functions are explored and hence a new hypothesis is raised to probe the similar construction in Chinese.
文摘Since the Keyser and Roeper,English middle construction(EMC)has attracted the linguists successfully with its complex syntactic and semantic features.The essential feature of EMC is active in syntactic form and passive in semantic meaning.Semantically,EMC is characterized by non-eventivity,genericity,agentivity and modality.Syntactically,the argument of EMC sentence is the internal argument of the verb,and the verb usually takes the modifier of an adverb or modal verb.Due to the complexity of EMC,many English learners encounter some difficulties in learning the second language.Based on Construction Grammar,this paper mainly investigates the following questions:first,is the learners’acquisition on EMC related to their English proficiency?Second,for typical and untypical EMC,which one is more difficult for them to learn?According to the research objectives,the research finally selects 32 valid papers and divides the subjects into advanced and elementary groups according to their scores in CET-6 and TEM-8,and R Studio is adopted to analyze their acquisition of EMC.The research results show that:first,the learners’acquisition on EMC is related to their English proficiency.Second,for typical and untypical EMC,both of them acquire typical EMC better than the untypical one,so the typical EMC is more difficult for the them to learn.
文摘Although the middle construction has attracted significant attention from syntacticians, its identity still remains controversial and it is not treated as a separate grammatical category in any English learner＇s dictionary. This article, based on the data collected from three English learner＇s dictionaries, investigates the middle construction in terms of its syntactic and semantic properties and the constraints on its use. It shows that the three learner＇s dictionaries treat the middle construction in inconsistent and problematic manners. The middle use of a verb is not distinguished from either transitive verbs with an implicit object or intransitive verbs, which may hinder English learners＇ acquisition of the construction. The article proposes that middle verbs should be treated as a separate subcategory of verbs on a par with transitive and intransitive verbs so that learners will become more aware of them and learn to use them correctly.
文摘Over the past two years,China has promoted the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road（Belt and Road Initiative）for developing international trade and enhancing the connectivity of infrastructure in countries along the routes. Energy cooperation is one of the fundamental aspects of the initiative.
