RETHINKING THE FUNCTIONAL EXPANSION OF QUASI-DOUBLE-VALENCY VERBS FROM THE CHANGE OF SYNTACTIC VALENCE -- AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS BASED ON THE CHANGE OF EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR AND COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Authors: Wang Yong 
Published: July 2022

Background

This paper focuses on the functional expansion of quasi-double-valency verbs in order to find the changes caused by valency changes and the deep mechanism leading to these changes. In particular, the changes of emotional behavior of word users need to be further studied.

Research Objects and Methods

Firstly, 648 quasi-double-valency verbs in modern Chinese are searched in BCC and CCL corpus. According to statistics, the exact number of quasi-double-valency verbs with functional expansion is 123, accounting for 18.98% of the total.

Results

We found that the function expansion of quasi-double-valency verbs followed the valency change mode of “valency-raising”, and realized the valency change through argument mark deletion and position transfer. After the function is expanded, it further leads to multi-dimensional covariation. Syntactically, the syntactic status of NP2 rises to the object, the verb obtains transitivity, and the whole sentence structure becomes shorter. Semantically, the identification of argument roles becomes difficult, and the agentivity of NP1 and the passivity of NP2 are enhanced. In fact, NP2's information status has risen. Quasi-double-valency verbs’ entry into sentence pattern S3 helps to meet the expression needs of users for different structures. In terms of pragmatic function, compared with S1 and S2, S3 sentence pattern is concise, economical, novel and eye-catching. The deep mechanism of multi-dimensional collaborative variation is the compensation mechanism. Questionnaire survey was used to investigate the emotional micro behavior of using Chinese mobile phones in various countries and regions. This experiment focuses on how separated Reappraisal (adaptive cognitive style) and redundant thinking (maladaptive cognitive style) affect the emotional effect of psychological expectation itself and the regulatory effect of expectation on the emotional arousal of subsequent negative stimulation. This experiment intends to manipulate three factors: expectation (Level 2: expected / unexpected) and the emotional titer of target stimulus. Level: negative stimulation / neutral stimulation) and cognitive style (Level 3: separate reappraisal, redundant thinking and no response). The study was completed by the combination of fMRI and peripheral physiological records. During the experiment, the activity level of frown muscle under different experimental conditions was recorded as an objective index of the change of emotional expression. It is planned to recruit 36 healthy subjects to participate in the experiment (18 men and 18 women). Subjects with anxiety or depression were screened by filling out the questionnaire. At the expected stage of the appearance of the target stimulus, the subjects applied the corresponding cognitive styles respectively. The experiment adopts the method of block design. According to different cognitive styles, it is divided into separate reappraisal block, non cognitive coping block and redundant thinking block (that is, one block applies only one given cognitive style). In order to rule out the possible influence of cognitive style blocks on the experimental manipulation of non coping blocks, non coping blocks are always presented first. The order of separated reappraisal and redundant thinking block was balanced among subjects. Before the beginning of each block, practice the cognitive style to be used in the expected stage, and start the experiment after the subjects confirm that they are proficient in using the cognitive style. After the experiment, the subjects were asked to evaluate the degree of successful use of the cognitive style through a 5-point scale (1 = very unsuccessful, 5 = very successful). The main points of the guidelines for the three cognitive styles are as follows: 1) no cognitive response (as a control condition) - the appearance of a red circle will prompt, followed by negative emotional stimulation. But I just need to pay attention to the fixation point in the center of the screen and don't have to deal with it in any way; 2) Separate reappraisal - the red circle will prompt, followed by negative emotional stimulation. Although I don't know what the specific content is, negative stimulation is undoubtedly a part of the real world, so there's no need to make a fuss. Redundant thinking - the red circle will prompt, and then there will be negative stimulation. Although I don't know what the specific content is, I should think about what stimulation they may be and what impact they will have on me.

Conclusion

A large number of statistical data show that the functional expansion of quasi-double-valency verbs is worth studying. This paper shows these new findings from the perspective of syntactic valency change, and reveals that the potential mechanism governing the operation of syntactic change is psychological “compensation”. Compared with other studies, the research perspective and conclusion of this paper are unique. However, its only limitation is that it fails to re-examine this phenomenon from the perspective of diachronic grammar.

Acknowledgements

Supported by a project grant from National Social Science Foundation “Systematic Research on Chinese Grammar Mechanism" (Grant No.19 BYY028) and a project grant from the Humanities and Social Science Research of the Ministry of Education “Measurement Research on the Complexity of Modern Chinese Grammar" (Grant No. 18YJA740033) and one of the third batch of pilot projects of blended teaching model reform of Information Engineering University, SSF of PLA “Teaching Reform and Practice of Flipped Class of Advanced Chinese Comprehensive Course Based on Tangfeng Chinese International Education Cloud Platform".