Layer 4: Microframe

Liu and Chiang (2008) purposed that a basic frame can befurther divided into Microframes with a finer specification of role-internal features, that is, the role-internal specifications of frame elements inherited from the basic frame.

In the present study, semantic attributes, frame elements, collocations, and event structures are used in determining various microfames. There are thirteen microframes, namely Make, Compel, Hinder, Prevent, Discontinue, Terminate, Counter, Comply, Help, Support, Do_For, Allow, and Let alone frame. Frames under the same basic frame will be introduced in the same section from 6.2.4.1 to 6.2.4.6. Diagram (21) shows the relation in layers.

Diagram (21): The Microframes under each basic frame

6.2.4.1 Microframes under Forcing Basic Frame

As mentioned in chapter 4, a small portion of Mandarin FIVs does encode the

result of force competition. Verbs in Forcing basic frame are divided into Make microframe and Compel microframe depending on whether the manipulation is successful or not.

Make microframe (successful manipulation)

迫使pòshĭ “to make,” 強使qiángshĭ “to make,” 逼使bīshĭ

“to make,”

Compel microframe (attempted manipulation)

逼迫bīpò “to force,” 強迫qiángpò “to force,” 逼bī “to force,” 強逼qiángbī “to force,”

Lemmas in Make microframe, being similar to “Strong manipulation verbs” defined by Givon (1993), tend to signal the end point realization of a force interaction. However, verbs in Make microframe are not the direct translation of the English verb make. Givon (1993) proposed that the complement VP of the English verb make has to be a bare verb (i.e. He made me leave/*to leave/*leaving) because make in English denotes a “co-temporal” and

“co-spacial” relation between the main and the secondary events. Lemmas in Make microframe in Mandarin, even though most of the time sharing the same co-temporality, can sometime denote two events that are relatively not so co-temporal as shown in (86) below.

The complement VP is marked by the irrealis marker 要yao. Moreover, lemmas in Make microframe often collocate with adverbs such as 一直/不斷/一次又一次yìzhí/búduàn/yícì yòu yícì ‘again and again.’

On the other hand, lemmas in Compel microframe are similar to the weak manipulation verb force in English (Givon 1993). They tend todenote a durative force manipulation by collocating with progressive aspectual markers such as 正/正在/在zhèng/zhèngzài/zài or being modified by a duration phrase such as 三天sāntiān ‘three days.’

(81) [他/Antagonist]一次又一次[迫使/Forcing][青少年/Agonist][要加入幫派/Target act]，

造成許多社會問題。

tā yícì yòu yícì pòshĭ qīngshàonián yào jiārù bāngpài zàochéng xŭduō shèhuì wèntí 3sg again and again POSHI teenager to join gang cause many social problems

‘He continuously makes teenagers join the gang, which causes many social problems.’

(82) [老媽/Antagonist][逼/*迫使/Forcing][弟弟/Agonist]（逼/*迫使了)[三天/Duration]，

他還是不打掃自己的房間。

lăomā bī/*pòshĭ dìdi bī/*pòshĭ le sāntiān tā háishì bù dăzăo zìjĭ de fángjiān Old mom BI younger brother BI-LE three day 3sg still NEG-clean his own room

‘(My mom) has forced (my) younger brother for three days, but he is still not going to clean his own room.’

6.2.4.2 Microframes under Try to stop Basic Frame

There are two microframes under Try to stop basic frame: Hinder frame and Prevent frame. They are separated based on what event structure they encode. Lemma in Hinder frame denotes force interaction in which an entity (who does a certain act) or an event is potentially hindered whereas lemma in Prevent frame encodes force interaction in which only an event is avoided from happening. This speciality makes verbs under Prevent frame obligatorily take a complement VP.

Hinder Microframe (entity/event oriented)

阻止zŭzhĭ “to restrain,” 阻擋zŭdăng “to block,” 阻礙zŭài

“to hinder,” 制止zhìzhĭ “to stop,”遏止èzhĭ “to stop,” 遏制 èzhì “to stop,” 阻撓zŭnáo “to hinder,”攔阻lánzŭ “to hinder”

Prevent Microframe (event orentited)

預防yùfáng ‘to prevent,’ 防止fángzhĭ “to prevent,” 避免 bìmiăn “to avoid”

(83) a. [平地人/Antagonist][阻止/Try to stop][山地居民/Agonist][獨立自主/Intended act]。

píngdìrén zŭzhĭ shāndì jūmín dúlì zìzhŭ

plain men ZUZHI mountain resident independent

‘People who live in the plain stopped the mountain residents from being independent.’

b. [平地人/Antagonist][阻止/Try to stop][山地居民/Agonist]。

píngdìrén zŭzhĭ shāndì jūmín

plain men ZUZHI mountain resident

‘People who live in the plain stopped the mountain residents.’

(84) a. [政府/Antagonist][積極/Manner][防止/Try to stop][醫生/Agonist][偽造民眾就醫記 錄/Intended act]。

Zhèngfŭ jījí fángzhĭ yīshēng wěizào mínzhòng jìuyījìlù

Government actively FANGZHI doctor forge the public medical record

‘The government actively prevents the doctor from forging medical records of the public. (Whether or not the prevention is successful is unspecified.)’

b. *[政府/Antagonist][積極/Manner][防止/Try to stop][醫生/Agonist]。

Zhèngfŭ jījí fángzhĭ yīliáojīgòu wěizào mínzhòng jìuyījìlù Government actively FANGZHI doctor

*‘The government actively prevents the doctor.’

6.2.4.3 Microframes under Stopping Basic Frame

Microframes under Stop basic frame are Discontinue frame and Terminate frame.

They are distinguished according to whether the terminated situation is restartable or not.

Discontinue frame indicates force interaction that is interrupted in the middle but is restartable at some point whereas Terminate frame encodes the end or the termination, which is completely stopped and not restartable.

Discontinue Microframe Event: <+restartable>

中止zhōngzhĭ “to discontinue,” 中斷zhōngduàn “to discontinue,”

Terminate Microframe Event: <-restartable>

終止zhōngzhĭ “to terminate,” 結束jiéshù “to end,” 終 結zhōngjié “to terminate,”

(85) Preverbal modification:

a. Antagonist < {暫時/意外/無預警/臨時}[ADVP]< * < Agonist

[大英國協/Antagonist]暫時[中止/*終止/Stop][辛巴威會籍/Agonist]，等其他領袖評估 情勢，決定是否延長期限。

Dàyīngguóxié zhànshí zhōngzhĭ/*zhōngzhĭ Xīnbāwēi huìjí děng qítā lĭngxìu pínggū qíngshì juédìng shìfŏu yáncháng huìqí

The Great Britain temporary ZHONGZHI/*ZHONGZHI the Republic of Zembabwe membership wait other leaders evaluate situation decide if extend time

‘The Great Britain temporary discontinued the membership of the Republic of Zembabwe and waited for other leaders to evaluate the situation so as to decide whether the

discontinuance is extended or not.’

b. Antagonist < {永遠/永久}[ADVP] * < Agonist

如果菲國再背信，[我方/Antagonist]將永遠[終止/*中止/Stop][中菲航約/Agonist]。

rúguŏ Fēiguó zài bèixìn wŏfāng jiāng zhōngzhĭ/*zhōngzhĭ zhōngfēi hángyuē

If the Philippines again break promise our side will forever ZHONGZHI/*ZHONGZHI Sino-Phillippines navegation contract

‘If the Phillippines breaks the promise again, our side (our government) will end the Sino-Phillippines navegation contract for good.’

6.2.4.4 Microframes under Counteractive forcing Basic Frame

There are two microframes, namely Counter frame and Comply frame under the Counteractive forcing basic frame. Verbs in Counter frame denote force interactions that are more intense and effert-taking whereas verbs in Comply frame encode force interactions that require less effort. Verbs in Counter frame are more verbal and are often modified by adverbs such as 極力/奮力jílì/fènlì ‘to strive/to spare no effort’ whereas verbs in Comply frame are more adverbial. Besides, with their verbal status, verbs in Comply frame are quite often modified by 只好/習慣zhĭhăo/xíguàn ‘to have no way but/to be used to.’

Counter Microframe (effort-taking reaction) (Verb status: more verbal)

反抗fănkàng “to resist,” 抵抗dĭkàng “to resist,” 抵 擋dĭdăng “to withstand,” 抗拒kàngjù “to resist,” 抵 拒dĭjù “to resist,” 拒抗jùkàng “to resist”

Comply Microframe (reaction with less effort) (Verb status: less verbal)

聽從tīngcóng “to obey,” 順從shùncóng “to submit to,” 遵從zūncóng “to comply with”

(86) Preverbal modification:

a. Re-acting force < {極力/奮力/拼死/公然} [ADVP]<*< Prior force < (, Accompanying act) [猶太人/Re-acting force]拼死[反抗/*聽從/Counteractive forcing][希特勒的迫害Prior force]。

Yóutàrén pīnsĭ fănkàng/*tīngcóng Xītèlè de pòhài

Jewish people to brave death FANKANG/*TICONG Hitler-DE persecution ‘The Jewish people fight against the persecution of Hetler with their lives.’

b. Re-acting force < {習慣/只好/默默}[ADVP]<*< Prior force < (, Accompanying act) [他/Re-acting force]習慣[順從/?反抗/Counteractive forcing][太太的每一句話/Prior force]，[連個氣兒也不敢出一聲/Accompanying act]。

tā xíguàn shùncóng/?fănkàng tàitài de měi yíjùhuà linage qìer yě bùgăn chū yìshēng 3sg is used to SHUNCONG/?FANKANG wife-DE every word even one word also NEG-dare say

‘He is used to obey every words from his wife and not even dares to say a word (to against her).’

(87) Adverbial modifier: * (地) < VP

受不了牙痛的折磨，[孩子/Re-acting force]只好[順從/*反抗/Counteractive forcing+nom]地就診。

shòubùliăo yátòng de zhémó háizi zhĭhăo shùncóng/*fănkàng di jìuzhěn

cannot bare toothache-DE torture child has no way but SHUNCONG/*FANKANG to see a doctor

‘The child had no way but submissively/*resistantly went to see a doctor for the unbearable torture from the toothache.’

6.2.4.5 Microframes under Assisting Basic Frame

As illustrated in section 4.2, there are three subtypes of help in Mandarin depending on which force-exerting party gets to perform the Target act. The three subtypes indicate three microframes under Assisting basic frame, namely, Help frame, Support frame, and Do_For frame. In Help frame, the Benefiter provides a direct enablement, so the Target act is performed by both Benefiter and Beneficiary. Verbs under Help frame usually collocate with a light verb 進行jìnxíng (i.e.大家對災民進行協助) or undergo nominalization by collocating with 提供tígōng “to provide” (i.e.大家對災民提供協助).

Verbs under Support frame, on the other hand, denote a more indirect assistance exerted by the Benefiter in a more abstract fashion. These verbs undergo nominalization by collocating with 表示biăoshì ‘to express’ (i.e.黨員對他表示支持) They also, to a large degree, remain their verbal status modified by adverbs such as 精神上jīngshénshàng ‘in

spirit,’ or 原則上yuánzéshàng ‘in principle’ (i.e.我精神上/原則上支持你創業).

Finally, verbs under Do_For frame as discussed in 4.2 behavor more like Co-verbs indicating a favor-doing situation (i.e. 護士幫病人打針). No nominalization is found.

Help Microframe zànzhù “to sponsor,” 補助bŭzhù “to subsidize,”幫bāng

“to help,” 幫忙bāngmáng “to help,” 幫助bāngzhù “to help,”協助xiézhù “to assist”

Do_For Microframe (Target act for Beneficiary) Verb status: <-nom>

幫bāng “to help,”替tì ‘to substitute,’為wèi ‘for/for the sake of’

As shown above, there are some overlappings of the lemmas (i.e. 幫). It takes more information from the context to differentiate three microframes from one another, which corresponses to our argument in chapter 4 that Mandarin depends highly upon collocations to create a certain context in which minor semantic differences are conveyed or interpreted.

6.2.4.6 Microframes under Letting Basic Frame

There are two microframes under Letting basic frame: Allow frame and Let alone frame. They are divided based on whether the Target act is on going or not when the Grantor comes into impingement. Allow frame denotes force interactions in which an authoritative

entity (usually limited to a human, a political organization, a theory, or a law) grants permission to the Grantee (usually human) so that he/she can set foot to perform a Target act after getting the permission. Let alone frame, on the other hand, encodes force interactions in which an entity (usually a human) decides to let go so that the Grantee (usually human) can carry on his or her action that is usually on going before the Grantor’s inpingement.

Allow Microframe 容zòngróng “to connive,” 任憑rènpíng “to let alone without restriction,” among others.

(88) Grantee < {未經/未獲/先經/得到} < Grantor < */*+nom < ({就/才}) < (Target act) [他/Gtantee]未經[作者/Grantor][同意/*放任/Letting]就[將小說出版/Target act]。

tā wèijīng zuòzhě tóngyì/*yŭnxŭ jìu jiāng xiăoshuō chūbăn 3sg NEG-pass author TONGYI/*YUNXU JIU BA novel publish

‘He published the novel without getting the permission/*noninterference of the author.’

(89) Grantor < * < Grantee < (Target act) < {不管/不理}

[政府/Grantor][放任/*允許/Letting][官員/Grantee][貪汙/Target act]不管，

zhèngfŭ fàngrèn/*yŭnxŭ guānyuán tānwū bùguăn

government FANGREN/*YUNXU the official to corrupt without interference

‘The government leaves/*allows the official corruption alone without interference.’