| Summary: | 博士 === 國立新竹教育大學 === 臺灣語言與語文教育研究所 === 101 === This dissertation aims to explore the conceptualization of temporal inception in Taiwanese Southern Min by investigating the syntax and semantics of the prepositions expressing temporal inception, viz., ui3對, tui3對, an3按, tsu7自, tsiong5從and tsing5從. Given that these prepositions can express spatial meanings as well, we probe not only the paths and mechanisms of conceptualization from spatial to temporal domain but also the semantic differences among these prepositions.
Following the theoretical framework of cognitive linguistics and the methodology of corpus-based analyses, this dissertation makes some main discoveries related to the temporal and spatial semantic structures and the conceptualization from space to time. In respect of temporal semantic structures, the prepositions expressing temporal inception manifest both similarities and differences. The most obvious similarity lies in the fact that these prepositions share identical core meaning of temporal inception and semantic implication of situational continuance. With this remarkable similarity, there are still temporal semantic differences among those prepositions which reflect their different patterns of conceptual features. These divergences are in accordance with the principles of economy and functionality of languages. With respect to spatial semantic structures, these temporal inception prepositions show differences in the distribution frequency and direction designated. Concretely speaking, the distribution frequencies of spatial meanings designated by ui3對, tui3對 and an3按 are higher than those denoted by tsu7自, tsiong5從and tsing5從. Regarding the direction designated, in opposition to ui3對 which tends to indicating spatial inception, tui3對 and an3按 tend to designate spatial termination. Concerning the conceptualization from space to time, based on the investigation from the synchronic and diachronic perspectives, temporal inception of these prepositions arises from their original meaning via such cognitive mechanisms as dynamic attention, metaphor or metonymy though there are varieties resulting from differences in original meaning.
In conclusion, this dissertation found the universality and idiosyncrasies on the conceptualization of temporal inception in Taiwanese Southern Min. The results not only reflected the unidirectionality of grammaticalization from the cognitive perspectives but also accounted for the semantic connections between spatial and temporal domain. Finally, this dissertation exemplified the close relationship among syntactic, semantic and cognitive structures which is the main concern of cognitive grammars and non-autonomous theory of syntax.
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