Change-of-state events all involve complex event structures,but still differ in their levels of complexity.In Old Chinese,all types of change-of-state events could be expressed by individual characters,but as Chinese ...Change-of-state events all involve complex event structures,but still differ in their levels of complexity.In Old Chinese,all types of change-of-state events could be expressed by individual characters,but as Chinese evolved,many change-of-state expressions must resort to verbal compounds.By looking at the change-of-state expressions in different historical periods,this study finds that while the meaning of each character becomes increasingly atomic,the use of verbal compounds has been expanding The most dramatic expansion is seen in the expression of the gradient change of state,followed by the punctual change of state,but is not observed in the durative change-of-state expressions.Consistent with the principle of iconicity,“the durative change-the punctual change-the gradient change”represents a continuum of complexity in human conceptualization,with incremental mental distance between the action and the result state.This finding is also widely supported by cross-linguistic data.展开更多
基金supported by the National Social Science Fund of China (Grant No. 20FYYB043)。
文摘Change-of-state events all involve complex event structures,but still differ in their levels of complexity.In Old Chinese,all types of change-of-state events could be expressed by individual characters,but as Chinese evolved,many change-of-state expressions must resort to verbal compounds.By looking at the change-of-state expressions in different historical periods,this study finds that while the meaning of each character becomes increasingly atomic,the use of verbal compounds has been expanding The most dramatic expansion is seen in the expression of the gradient change of state,followed by the punctual change of state,but is not observed in the durative change-of-state expressions.Consistent with the principle of iconicity,“the durative change-the punctual change-the gradient change”represents a continuum of complexity in human conceptualization,with incremental mental distance between the action and the result state.This finding is also widely supported by cross-linguistic data.
