　　This study aims at solving a long-standing problem in Mandarin linguistics， namely how to categorize and understand the plethora of constructions that have been called SVCs（Serial Verb Constructions） at one time or another. This study examines features which differentiate them from typical cases of coordination， subordination. It demonstrates that the main differences between SVCs and non-SVCs lie in their different profiles. My classification for an SVC is based on the three iconically based semantic principles： temporal sequence and scope， shared participants， and situational dependence. Grounded on these three principles， seven morphosyntactic ancl prosodic tests have been proposed to apply to five constructions which consist of more than one verb. The seven operational iconic/semantic tests allow us to capture common features of SVCs in Mandarin Chinese. Mandarin SVCs reflect cognitive packaging， that is， an SVC denotes a unitary complex evernt and reflects event conflation of two or more sub-events. The five constructions reflect degrees of serialization or a continuum of event conflation in Mandarin. In this study， two experiments were designed to explore the phenomenon of event autonomy or event conflation of the five [V （N） V ...] types and the effects of construal on the interpretation of different constructions. The findings in the experiments suggest that Mandann speakers are sensitive to sentences exhibiting different degrees of event conflation. The results in the experiments indicate that event conflation really t.urned out to be a graded rather than a discrete Phenomenon. The phenomena of Manclarin SVCs provide evidence for a kind of iconicity operating in the coding of multi-verb structures.

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Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Past Treatments of Serial Verb Constructions
2.1 Past Approaches to SVCs
2.1.1 Christaller （1875）
2.1.2 Westermann （1930）
2.1.3 Stewart （1963）
2.1.4 Bamgbose （1974）
2.1.5 Baker （1989）
2.1.6 Agbedor （1994）
2.1.7 Aikhenvald （2006）
2.2 Past Approaches'to Chinese SVCs
2.2.1 Chao （1968）
2.2.2 Li and Thompson （1981）
2.2.3 Dai （1990）
2.2.4 Paul （2004）
2.3 Discussion

Chapter 3 Basic Tenets of Cognitive Grammar
3.1 Assumptions of Cognitive Grammar
3.2 Symbolization
3.3 Construction and Composition
3.4 Base vs. Profile
3.5 Construal
3.6 Perspective
3.7 Action Chain
3.8 Lexicon and Syntax
3.9 Schematic Representation of a Transitive Event

Chapter 4 The Present Analysis
4.1 Three Iconically Based Semantic Principles
4.1. 1 Principle of Temporal Sequence and Scope
4.1.2 Principle of Shared Participants
4.1.3 Principle of Situational Dependence
4.2 Conceptual Event
4.3 Laying Out the Event Conflation Continuum
4.4 Event Structure of Coordination Subordination and SVCs
4.5 Morphosyntactic and Prosodic Tests of Event Conflation

Chapter 5 The Five Constructions and the Seven Tests
5.1 Coordinate Constructions
5.1.1 Schematic Representation
5.1.2 Application of Tests
5.1.3 Discussion
5.2 Complement Constructions
5.2.1 Schematic Representation
5.2.2 Application of Tests
5.2.3 Discussion
5.3 Purposive Constructions
5.3.1 Purposive Complements or Separate Clauses
5.3.2 The Three Principles Reflected in Purposive SVCs
5.3.3 Schematic Representation
5.3.4 Application of the Tests
5.3.5 Discussion
5.4 Double-headed or Shared Object Constructions
5.4.1 The Three Principles Reflected in Double-headed Constructions
5.4.2 SchemaLic Representation
……
Chapter 6 Coverb Constructions
Chapter 7 Psycholinguistic Experiments
Chapter 8 The Association of Multi-Verb Constructions with Verbs
Chapter 9 Conclusions

Bibliography

精彩书摘

　　Mandarin Chinese is classified as an isolating and non-inflecting language. What English achieves by changing verb forms is expressed in Manciarin Chinese by means of additional adverbs， other independent morphemes， etc. For example， in Mandarin lai 'come' remains the same morphologically no matter when the action happened or happens or will happen since Mandarin does not inflect its verbs for tenses （Lin 2001）. In syntax， Mandarin has very few overt morphosyntactic expressions of tense or aspect and has no subject-verb agreement， in contrast to inflectional languages. The lack of affixational morphology and syntactic markers in Chinese often makes a string of words highly ambiguous syntactically and， thus， a Mandarin expression with two or more verbs in a sequence coulcl be associated wit，h more than one construction type. For example， a multi-verb sequence in Mandarin could be analyzed as coordination （not unlike the English expression eat [and] drink）.subordination （as in the English I want [to] go）， or causation （such as I made him leave）. A¨multi-verb expression" is understood as a sequence of verbs （with a shared or omitted participant） in an expression without any syntactic marking to indicate what the relation is between the verbs.
　　 Serial verb constructions （SVCs） are prevalent in Mandarin Chinese and deserve more investigatioln than they have thus far received. In the past， different linguists have given different classifications to multi-verb expressions with shared subjects. The string [NP V （NP） V ...]is at least 5-way ambiguous in Mandarin （with the optional inter-verbal NP functioning either as matrix DO or embedded SUBJ）， as shown in the following labeled examples.
　　……