2.2 Domestic Research
Due to the special form, lasting development, and widespread use of the verb reduplication in Chinese, domestic scholars have studied the semantics of Chinese verb reduplication from different perspectives.
2.2.1 Semantics and Forms of Verb Reduplication
In domestic research, some scholars have determined the forms of verb reduplication by studying its semantics. In linguistic studies, form and meaning are closely interconnected. Therefore, when investigating the forms of verb reduplication, some scholars start from its semantics, arguing that the existing forms of verb reduplication can be divided into two main schools: One category is represented by Shi Youwei (1997), who advocates a narrow view of the form of verb reduplication. According to this perspective, the form of verb reduplication is limited to the “VV” form, which is derived from the base verb through form repetition. For example, monosyllabic verbs follow the “VV” form, while disyllabic verbs follow the “V1V2V1V2” form. Shi Youwei explains that, despite the emergence of various forms of verb reduplication in the academic community, the “VV” form is associated with longer durations, more formal attitudes, and more frequent repetitive actions. Therefore, verb reduplication conveys the meaning of “augmentation”. In a strict sense, there is only one form of verb reduplication, which is the “VV” form. Another category is represented by He Rong and Fan Fanglian, who advocate a broader view of the forms of verb reduplication. They argue that verb reduplication is not limited to a single form. In addition to the “VV” form, other expanded forms based on the reduplication of verbs, such as “V一V” and “V了V”, can also be considered as verb reduplication. He Rong (1962) argues that both “VV” and “V了V” can be considered verb reduplication forms, while other structures involving the superposition of two verbs are termed verb repetition.
Chapter Three Theoretical Framework ........................ 25
3.1 Boundedness Theory ........................ 25
3.2 Construal .................................. 31
Chapter Four Boundedness in the Base Verb and Verb Reduplications: Commonalities and Differences ............... 45
4.1 The Boundedness of Verb ............................... 45
4.2 The Boundedness of the Base Verb ........................ 50
Chapter Five Boundedness Adjustment in the Compositional Path of Verb Reduplication .................. 73
5.1 The Role Assignment of Internal Components in Verb Reduplication ................... 73
5.2 The Base in Boundedness Adjustment ........................ 75
Chapter Six The Explanation of Additional Semantics in Cognitive Motivation
6.1 Cognitive Motivation in Boundedness Adjustment
Langacker (2008) pointed out that the boundary depends on the construal mode of the cognizer. From the perspective of people’s cognitive patterns, people are influenced by Gestalt psychology during the cognitive construal process. Under the effect of the law of Pragnanz, people always construe all the things and events they perceive as a complete and bounded entity. Based on this view, all action events can be processed by the cognizer as having endpoints, depending on the subject’s construal dimensions to the action events, and such construal dimensions are reflected in language expressions.
Combining with the collocation features presented in the language expressions where verb reduplications ar
