1.4 Structure of the book
This book is structured into seven chapters altogether.
Chapter 1 introduces the research background, research gaps, research methodology, research objectives, and research questions, defines some important terms, and concludes the research significance.
Chapter 2 is a literature review of previous studies on break verbs. These previous studies are reviewed from perspectives of classical linguistics, generative semantics, developmental psycholinguistics as well as cognitive linguistics. Classical linguistics refers to minimal pair comparisons conducted by Jespersen, Fillmore, and some Chinese linguists. Generative semantic studies include Guerssel et al.'s generative derivational studies, Jackendoff's generative decompositional studies as well as Levin's generative decomposition studies. Developmental psycholinguistic studies are captured based on adult-child variations in the categorization of break verbs and cross-linguistic variations in children's categorization of break verbs. Cognitive linguistic studies are reviewed in terms of theoretical approaches, including cognitive semantic extensionalist studies, NSM studies, Frame Semantic studies, Causal Chain studies as well as Talmy's cognitive semantic study. In addition, a limited number of diachronic syntactic and constructional studies on break verbs and diachronic linguistic studies on other lexical items are also reviewed.
Chapter 3 introduces the research methodology adopted in this book, including both the theoretical framework and the statistical methods. The theoretical framework is DPS. As mentioned, this approach accounts for lexical conceptual structure in terms of a prototypical structure. Two extensional and two intensional hypotheses are put forward under this framework. With regard to statistical methods, compatible with DPS, the MCA is made use of to map out prototypical structures. Ctree and random forest are utilized to uncover the weight assumed by different conceptual variables.
Chapter 4 attends to diachronic conceptual variation of extensional pò and answers research questions (1a) and (2a). In this chapter, the extensional usages of pò across four historical stages are collected and coded. Both the frequency measure and association measure are employed to plot the prototypical structure of extensional pò. It is found that extensional pò is undergoing a specialization trajectory. Its prototypical core gradually narrows down from denoting all kinds of separation to only denoting disruptive separation. Its peripheral members appear and disappear flexibly and thus its extensional range expands and narrows all through its development.
Chapter 5 addresses the conceptual boundary variation of extensional pò, qiē, and kāi and answers research questions (1b) and (2b). Extensional usages of pò, qiē, and kāi are mapped into prototypically-organized conceptual structures with the statistical method of MCA. By comparing their conceptual structures across four historical stages, it is found that their conceptual boundaries vary as their conceptual ranges fluctuate. From ancient Chinese to Mandarin Chinese, the conceptual boundaries among these three verb classes have changed from conceptual overlapping to conceptual discreteness. As for the reason, segmentation and categorization of events of separation state change are reorganized both at the variable level and the structural level. The variable level reorganization shows value adjustment and the structural level reorganization demonstrates prototypical range adjustment.
Chapter 6 explores the diachronic conceptual variation of intensional pò and answers research questions (1c) and (2c). Apart from the intensional reading of physical object separation, another fifteen intensional readings across six domains are captured, including relational, cognitive, possessive, observance, emotional, and temporal domains. On the one hand, it is concluded that intensional readings emanate from extensional usages. We can always find extensional sources of intensional readings. Altogether three diachronic lineages of the conceptual development of pò are revealed. On the other hand, intensional readings may also be further semantic extensions from those intensional readings that already exist. With the evolution of intensional readings, intensional pò becomes increasingly impoverished in its semantic content.
Chapter 7 concludes this book by first summarizing the research findings from perspectives of diachronic conceptual variation pathways, the motivating cognitive mechanisms as well as the proposed revisions of DPS. Then a tentative multivariate model of diachronic conceptual variation is put forward. It is a twin-track model integrating both extensional and intensional levels. The extensional range of lexical items is mapped out in a prototypical structure. In addition, implications, limitations as well as directions for future studies are also pointed out.