The semantic map of the spatial motion domain and related functions

Abstract

This thesis employs the Semantic Map Model, a new tool for typological research, to study multifunctional grams in the spatial motion and related domains. It takes a bottom-up approach to the construction of semantic maps, which starts with a limited number of genetically and areally related dialects spoken in a single Chinese province, and progressively moves on to include more Chinese data from all groups of its regional varieties, yielding a map that can account for polyfunctional patterns of relevant grams in the Chinese dataset. Subsequently, the scope of investigation is further extended to a considerable-size sample of world languages, resulting in a comprehensive semantic map that not only is highly compatible with the Chinese map but also claims a universal validity. One highlight of this study is the multi-layer representation of semantic maps, a methodological innovation to overcome the research challenge of domain interface and map dimensionality, which can also be used to accommodate conflicting cases caused by polygrammaticalization.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology