Linguistics and Literature Studies Vol. 5(6), pp. 432 - 445
DOI: 10.13189/lls.2017.050606
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The Lexicalization Patterns of Old Chinese Motion Verbs and the Manner/ Result Complementarity

Lei Qiu ^*
School of Foreign Languages, Huaiyin Normal University, China

ABSTRACT

Rappaport Hovav and Levin[1,2] propose the manner/result complementarity (MRC), which predicts the non-existence of verbs lexicalizing both manner and result at a time. Scholars [3, 4] argue against the MRC as a general lexical principle governing the lexicalization patterns of verbs by naming verbs which seem to encode both meaning components simultaneously. One type of counterexample verbs are based on the lexicalization properties of typologically different languages. Following Slobin [5], Shi and Wu [6] suggest that manner and result meaning components exhibit complementary distribution in satellite-framed languages but not verb-framed languages. Though Modern Chinese is generally classified as a satellite-framed language, Old Chinese is regarded as a verb-framed language and the lexicalization patterns of Old Chinese motion verbs are also subjected to controversy. Drawing evidence from motion verbs in Old Chinese, this study tries to answer whether the MRC constrains the possible lexicalization patterns of motion verbs in verb-framed languages. Detailed analysis indicates that though typologically different languages may use morphosyntactic devices specific to the language to differentiate verbs falling into different ontological categories, Old Chinese motion verbs conform to the MRC hypothesis.

KEYWORDS
Manner/ Result Complementarity, Motion Verbs, Lexicalization Patterns

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Lei Qiu , "The Lexicalization Patterns of Old Chinese Motion Verbs and the Manner/ Result Complementarity," Linguistics and Literature Studies, Vol. 5, No. 6, pp. 432 - 445, 2017. DOI: 10.13189/lls.2017.050606.

(b). APA Format:
Lei Qiu (2017). The Lexicalization Patterns of Old Chinese Motion Verbs and the Manner/ Result Complementarity. Linguistics and Literature Studies, 5(6), 432 - 445. DOI: 10.13189/lls.2017.050606.