Abstract:

This paper re-examines the syntactic and semantic properties of “NP zhi VP” construction in Pre-Qin Chinese based on generative constructivism, and proposes a “nominalization stratification hypothesis” to explain the difference in the strength and weakness of the category properties embodied in this construction. It argues that the light noun n can operate on different levels of predicative categories. Accordingly, the syntactic stratification of the “NP zhi VP” constitution is constructed, and the corresponding semantic stratification is deduced from the syntactic hierarchy to explain the syntactic consequences of the semantic stratification. Finally, this paper argues that the construction is a DP structure centered on delimited category D from the perspective of construction coercion.

Key words: construction, “NP zhi VP”, nominalization, generative constructivism, construction coercion