Chapter 5 Analysis
5.6 Frame-based Analysis of Caused-motion Tuī and Lā
5.6.2 The Hierarchical Structure of the Frame
Following the assumption that the meanings of a verb is relatively defined in semantic frames of lexically-profiled semantic components (Fillmore and Atkins 1992, Goldberg 2005), Mandarin caused-motion events of tuī 推 ‘push’ and lā 拉 ‘pull’ may be classified and categorized under a frame-based hierarchical taxonomy establised by Liu and Chiang (2008) which involves a multi-layered structured classificational scheme consisting of four semantic frames: Archiframe > Primary frame > Basic frame > Microframe. Note that frames in the higher level are said to indicate a broader scope of certain semantic domain, while frames in the lower level inherit from upper frames to provide frame-specific descriptions. Based on the findings in previous chapters, Mandarin caused-motion verbs tuī 推 ‘push’ and lā 拉 ‘pull’
can be categorized into various specific frames under different layers as presented in the hierarchical structure below:
Figure 38: The Hierarchical Structure of the Frames
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Based on the findings and analysis given in the previous sections, it is observed that tuī 推 ‘push’ and lā 拉 ‘pull’ are caused-motion verbs that only highlight on the directed movement of the Mover and the Moved entity which is much different from other Mandarin caused-motion verbs, such as the path-encoded caused-motion verbs bān 搬 ‘move,’ yùn 運
‘transport’, yí 移 ‘move,’ and etc; co-movement caused-motion verbs such as dài 帶 ‘bring,’
ling 領 ‘lead’, xī 攜 ‘carry’, dàiling 帶領 ‘lead’ and etc.; and ballistic caused-motion verbs tóu 投, zhí 擲, diū 丟, rēng 扔 which all equivalent to the English verb ‘throw’ and etc.
Therefore, we propose that tuī 推 ‘push’ and lā 拉 ‘pull’ belong to the Primary Frame of Directed Movements. In what follows, we will first introduce the Archiframe of Caused-motion in section 5.6.2.1. Followed by section 5.6.2.2, primary frames will be displayed with a focus on the frame of Directed Movements. In section 5.6.2.3, basic frames will be presented which, based on corpus observations, may be classfied into two basic subframes: Pushing/Pulling frame and Dragging frame. Lastly, in section 5.6.3, a summary of the overall frames will be given.
5.6.2.1 Layer 1: Arciframe (Caused-motion Frame)
According to Liu and Chiang (2008), an Archiframe (AF) is relatively the highest frame in the hierarchical framing structure. It provides an overarching conceptual schema as the semantic prerequisite for the individual frames within the relatively large and independent domain of an event, that is, the Caused-motion event. The schematic representation can show and characterize the congnitive basis for a specific frame and the interrelations between its subframes. The information regarding the Archiframe of Caused-motion is given below:
Definition: An Agent (Mover) causes a Theme (Moved Entity) to undergo a certain course of
motional path, sometimes with the specification of a particular way of movement (Manner),116
passing through an intermediate landmark (Route NP) toward a spatial orientation (Directional NP) to arrive at a final destination (Locative NP) to do a purposeful activity (Target Act) with an optional marking of speaker-oriented center (Deictic).
Representative lemmas: bān 搬 ‘move’, yí移 ‘move’, tái 抬 ‘lift to move’, zài 載 ‘load’,
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Zhou, Jun-san throw ball enter basket
‘Zhou, Jun-san threw the ball into the basket.’
b. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]<Manner<{Coverb}+Location[NP]<Deictic[VP]
[我/Mover]帶[學生/Moved_Entity][跑/Manner][到/Endpoint][校外/Location][去 /Deictic]
wǒ dài xuéshēng pǎo dào xiào.wài qù I bring students run arrive campus.outside go ‘I brought the students to run to the outside of the campus.’
c. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]<Deictic[VP]<Location[NP]
[他/Mover]拉[我/Moved_Entity][去/Deictic][他家/Location]
tā lā wǒ qù tā jiā he pull me go his home ‘He pulls me to go to his home.’
d. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]<{Coverb}+Location[NP]<Deictic[VP]
[媽媽/Mover]推[俊和/Moved_Entity][到/Endpoint][學校/Location][去/Deictic]
mā mā tuī jùn-hàn dào xuéxiào qù Mother push Jun-han arrive school go ‘Mother pushes Jun-han to the school.’
5.6.2.2 Layer 2: Primary Frame
As defined by Liu and Chiang (2008), Primary frames (PFs) are subframes under the Archiframe with a given portion of the conceptual schema profiled or highlighted. Each
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primary frame is distinguised from the other by a set of unique core frame elements (FEs) and syntactic representations. Based on the findings in previous chapters, four primary frames are presented: Path-encoded movement, Directed movement, Ballistic movement, and
Co-movement. The path-encoded movement frame focuses on the saliency of the Path of
motion contour during the movement. The directed movement frame, where tuī 推 ‘push’and lā 拉 ‘pull’ belong, emphasize on the directions of force-interaction movements. The ballistic movement frame stresses on the ballistic motion contour of the moving entity towards an endpoint. The last is co-movement which specifies the co-motion of the Mover and the Moved entity during the entire process of movement. The four primary frames under the Archiframe of Caused-motion may be summerized in the hierarchical structure below:
Figure 39: Primary Frames under Caused-motion Archiframe
With the above findings and analysis, in what follows, we will focus on the discussion of Directed Movement Frame only, since the other three primary frames Path-encoded Movement, Ballistic Movement36, and Co-Movement37 are not the main concern of this study, they will not be further discussed.
36 Please refer to Lee (2014) for detailed analysis on Ballistic Movement Frame.
37 Please refer to Hu (2014) for detailed analysis on Co-Movement Frame.
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5.6.2.2.1 Layer 2: Directed Movement Primary Frame
Definition: It is a caused-motion event in which the Agent (Mover) causes the Theme
(Moved Entity) to move towards a spatial orientation (Directional NP) to reach a final destination (Locative NP) with an optional marking of speaker-oriented center (Deictic).Representative Lemmas: tuī 推 ‘push’, lā 拉 ‘pull’, qiān 牽 ‘hold’, tuō 拖 ‘drag’
Frame Elements: Mover, Moved Entity, Directional NP, Locative NP, Deictic
Conceptual Schema:
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he drag ASP chain continue-run
‘He dragged the chain while running.’
c. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]
[他/Mover]在街上牽了[四條大型狗/Moved Entity]！
tā zài jiē shàng qiānle sìtiáo dà-xíng-gǒu he is street-on pull ASP four big-size-dog
‘On the streets there were four big-sized dogs led by him!’
5.6.2.3 Layer 3: Basic Frame
According to Liu and Chiang (2008:10), basic frames are sets of semantically more restricted frames under each primary frame. Basic frames are “semantically more informative, distributionally more frequent and common, and are associated with foregrounded or backgrounded frame elements within the set of primary-selected elements.” (Liu and Chiang 2008:10). To be more specific, basic frames are defined by a set of highlighted frame elements inheriting from primary frames as well as distinctic syntactic behaviours. That is to say, different basic frames highlights different frame elements with distinctive syntactic representations and the basic frames inherit the defining patterns from the primary frame but develop some unique syntactic patterns of their own which thus distinguishes them from one another. In what follows, two basic frames: Pushing/Pulling Frame and Dragging Frame will be introduced.
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5.6.2.3.1 Layer 3: Pushing/Pulling Basic Frame
Definition: It is a caused-motion event in which the Agent (Mover) causes the Theme
(Moved Entity) to move towards or away from a spatial orientation (Directional NP) to reach a final destination (Locative NP) with an optional marking of speaker-oriented center (Deictic).Representative Lemmas: tuī 推 ‘push’, lā 拉 ‘pull’
Frame Elements: Mover, Moved Entity, Locative NP, Deictic
Conceptual Schema:
Defining Patterns:
a. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]<{Coverb}+Location[NP]
[我/Agent]推/拉[一輛腳踏車/Moved Entity]到[屋裡/Location]。
wǒ tuī/lā yí-liàng jiǎo-tà-chē dào wūlǐ I push/pull one bicycle arrive home-in ‘I angrily pushed/pulled a bicycle into the house.’
CAUSER/GOAL CAUSE
E
SOURCE/GOAL
lā Loc
tuī
Moved Entity Agent
path
path
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b. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]<{Coverb}+Location[NP]<Target_Act[VP]
[他/Agent]推/拉[母親/Moved Entity]上[台/Location][表演/Target_Act] ， tā tuī/lā mǔqīn shàng tái biǎoyǎn
he push/pull mother up stage perform
‘He pulled mother up to the stage to perform.’
c. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]<Deictic[VP]<Location[NP]
[他/Agent]推/拉[我/Moved Entity][去/Deictic][他家裡/Location]。
tā tuī/lā wǒ qù tā jiālǐ he push/pull me go his house ‘He pushed/pulled me to go to his house.’
d. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]<Target_Act[VP]
[老師與助教/Agent]推/拉著[小朋友們/Moved Entity] [圍成一個小圓/Target_Act]，
lǎo-shī yǔ zhù-lǐ tuī/lā zhe xiǎo-péng-yǒu-men wéi chéng yí-ge xiǎo yuán teacher and assistant push/pull ASP kids PL round-make one small circle
‘The teacher and the assistant are pulling the little kids to make a little circle.’
e. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]
[尼克/Agent]伸手去推/拉[秀兒/Moved Entity]。
níkè shēn-shǒu qù tuī/lā xiùer Nick out-hand go-push/pull Xiuer
‘Nick pushed out his hands to go and pull Xiuer.’
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5.6.2.3.2 Layer 3: Dragging Basic Frame
Definition: It is a caused-motion event in which the Agent (Mover) causes the Theme
(Moved Entity) to move along a surface towards a spatial orientation (Directional NP) to reach a final destination (Locative NP).Representative Lemmas: qiān 牽 ‘hold’, tuō 拖 ‘drag’
Frame Elements: Mover, Moved Entity, Locative NP
Conceptual Schema:
Defining Patterns:
a. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]<Target_Act[VP]
[牠/Mover]拖著[鍊子/Moved Entity][一直跑/Target_Act]，
tā tuō zhe liànzi yīzhí pǎo he drag ASP chain continue-run ‘He dragged the chain while running.’
b. Mover[NP]<*<Moved_Entity[NP]
[他/Mover]在街上牽了[四條大型狗/Moved Entity]！
path force
CAUSE E CAUSE
R
GOAL
Moved Entity Agent
Loc
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tā zài jiē shàng qiānle sìtiáo dà-xíng-gǒu he is street-on pull ASP four big-size-dog
‘On the streets there were four big-sized dogs led by him!’