Earticle

English phrasal verbs are very often used in colloquial English, but their meanings are considered arbitrary, and cause much difficulty to EFL students. However, recent studies of cognitive semantics suggest that languages reflect our conceptual system which is structured by image schemas and conceptual metaphors, and therefore, most linguistic expressions are not arbitrary, but motivated. In this respect, this study was to show that English phrasal verbs, which were considered independent of our conceptual system and only to be memorized, can be presented to EFL students in a more meaningful way through image schemas and conceptual metaphors. For this purpose, this study sorted out English Phrasal verbs with OUT and put them into several groups by the standard of image schemas and conceptual metaphors. The results are as follows: First, the meanings of particles which were considered arbitrary could be presented in a meaningful way by showing underlying conceptual system of the moaning through transformation of the image schemas and conceptual metaphors. Second, cognitive semantic approach can facilitate retention and creative loaming of English phrasal verbs by activating the subconscious conceptual system onto the conscious level. In conclusion, the cognitive semantic approach to English phrasal verbs can be an effective alternative to the traditional method of learning phrasal verbs in a more motivated and creative way. So it is recommended that further studies on the cognitive semantic approach to learning languages be carried out to understand idiomatic expressions effectively.

This study, grounded in Prototype Theory, offers a systematic analysis of the plural marker men(们) in Modern Chinese and proposes a three-tiered semantic categorization model: core, semi-peripheral, and peripheral. The analysis reveals that the distribution and usage of men are jointly influenced by animacy hierarchy and subjectification processes. Specifically, the semantic trajectory of men evolves from high animacy with low subjectivity to low animacy with high subjectivity. In the core category, men is predominantly attached to human nouns (e.g., 学生们 “students”, 朋友们 “friends”), reflecting its prototypical usage with maximal animacy and grammatical stability. The semi-peripheral category includes non-human animate nouns such as 狗们 (“dogs”) and 猫们 (“cats”), which retain moderate animacy and show increasing levels of subjectification. In the peripheral category, men attaches to plant nouns, inanimate objects, and abstract concepts (e.g., 花们 “flowers”, 书们 “books”, 瓜们 “melons”), with usage driven primarily by rhetorical effect and subjective interpretation. By mapping the semantic expansion of men along animacy and subjectivity axes, this study highlights the dynamic interaction between grammar and cognition. The findings contribute to our understanding of grammaticalization, lexical creativity, and the evolving flexibility of plural marking in Modern Chinese.

This study, grounded in the framework of prototype theory and the analytical approach of verb-object constructions,employscorpus linguistic techniques to conduct a comprehensive and systematic investigation of "V(e.g.,shu?) + N" structures.It thus constructsa more complete semantic network model,addressingthe theoretical and methodological gaps in existing research. The ‘shua+N(brush/scour+noun)’ pattern involves eight types of object semantic roles : Patient，Target，Result，Instrument，Location，Temporal，and Agent roles，consistent with prior research showing that patient roles dominate in verb-object phrase semantics. The semantic evolution of ‘shua+N(brush/scour+noun)’ extends from its original patient role to these seven additional semantic roles. The derivation path of ‘shua’ fully aligns with the collocation patterns of object semantic roles. The verb ‘shua’ initially denoted concrete physical actions(e.g.，‘shuaxie-brush shoes’) and gradually expanded to other physical domains(e.g.，‘shuaxiaoyuan-sweep across campus’)，then extended to virtual spaces(e.g.，‘shuaji-jailbreak devices’)，further evolved temporally(e.g.，‘shuaye-pull all-nighters’)， and finally abstracted into psychological spaces(e.g.，‘shuacunzaigan-seek attention’). Through metonymy，it also developed nominal usages like ‘shuashou-professional click-farmers’). This progression reaffirms the semantic derivation pattern from physical actions → physical space → virtual space → temporal domain → psychological space. As a polysemous verb accommodating diverse semantic roles，‘shua’ demonstrates extensive semantic extensions far removed from its prototype meaning，exhibiting high abstraction. The semantic network reveals that ‘shua’ has evolved into a verb with rich semantic role collocations，increasing learning difficulty for Chinese L2 learners. Furthermore，this analysis reaffirms from the perspectives of prototype features and object semantic roles that semantic derivation is motivated by prototype semantics and cognitive mechanisms. Polysemy is not arbitrary but grounded in human cognitive categorization and conceptualization processes. The development of word meanings reflects the results of human cognitive organization and conceptual mapping.

Category of aspect reflects a speaker’s interpretation of a situation and Russian has developed a unique system of verbal aspect. Binary opposition of perfective and imperfective is morphologically mandatory for all verbs, but there are so many exceptions. The grammar of verbal aspect seems chaotic and biaspectual verbs are an example of the exceptions. Biaspectual verbs express one aspect in a given context, but it is sometimes difficult to decide the aspect based on the contextual information. The isomorphism gets weaker as the newly borrowed biaspectual verbs use affixes to express aspectual difference. Prefix po- and suffix -iva- make new aspectual partner or pair of biaspectual verbs. These new aspectual relations resemble the prototypical relation of Russian aspect, which is binary opposition of perfective and imperfective. Therefore it is possible to say that Russian biaspectual verbs are related to the prototype with the iconicity in their forms and meanings. In other words, Russian biaspectual verbs reflect that language constantly evolves and in the center of the evolution is located the concept of prototype. These verbs were in the periphery of the category of Russian aspect, but the number of the group gets bigger and the members adapt themselves to the prototype of aspect. Prefixation and suffixation show the evolution of biaspectual verbs from the periphery to the center of aspect category in Russian. These verbs constantly increase by borrowing foreign words and the evolution will be observed more frequently.

전통 한옥은 ‘韓 브랜드’의 하나로 선정될 정도로 그 가치를 인정받고 있으며, 최근에는 이를 문화관광자원으로 활용하려는 노력들이 증대되고 있다. 그런데 이 같은 전통한옥문화의 계승과 활용에 관한 논의과정에서 나타나는 문제점들도 적지 않다. 예를 들면 활용논의가 주로 ‘건축물로서의 한옥’에 집중됨으로서 전통한옥문화 고유의 문화적 정체성과 차별성이 후순위로 밀리는 문제, 전통한옥 관련 문화자료들의 범위 축소와 확보 노력 미흡 등이 바로 그러한 것들이다. 본고는 이러한 문제점에 대한 대안으로 한옥문화 기초자료를 종합적, 효율적으로 정리하기 위한 방향을 정리한 것이다. 구체적인 내용은 1) 시기와 주체, 건축배경 2) 지역별 비교와 차별성 3) 전통한옥문화의 공간과 문화상대성을 정확히 파악하고 이를 통해 해당 한옥문화의 올바른 이해와 자원활용의 경쟁력, 차별성을 확보하자는 것이다. 본고가 향후 전통한옥문화를 문화관광자원으로 활용함에 있어 특화, 차별성 부각, 활용의 범위와 소재, 대상, 아이디어의 확보 등에 작은 도움이 되기를 기대한다. 이는 ‘본말’과 ‘주객’이 전도된 한옥문화가 새롭게 나타나거나, 혹은 ‘實用과 美學, 구조적 우수성, 친환경 등’을 강조하던 전통한옥문화의 가치가 반감되는 것을 미연에 방지하고자 함이다. 다른 전통문화들과 마찬가지로 건축문화의 경우도, 전통시대의 문화가치와 의미가 현대사회에서는 갈등 요인이 되는 경우가 없지 않다. 때문에 전통문화에 대한 역사적, 지역적, 문화사적 가치를 이해하지 못하면 왜곡과 굴절은 필연적으로 뒤따르게 된다. 그런 점에서 문화적 상징성과 실용성의 엄밀한 구분은 물론 필요하다. 결국 전통한옥문화의 본령과 가치가 현대적으로 계승되려면, 종합적 전통한옥문화 기초자료의 정리와 검증, 의미 이해가 선행되어야 한다. 거기에서 활용이 가능한, 또는 ‘韓 브랜드’로 상징되는 韓屋 문화의 경쟁력과 차별성도 챙겨질 것이기 때문이다.

Based on the prototype theory, the semantic category and expansion of interrogative pronouns in modern Chinese are examined, and the mechanism and motivation of the semantic category expansion in modern Chinese are analyzed. In the semantic category of interrogative pronouns, [+query] and [+reference] are the two main features of the interrogative pronoun prototype semantics, and the interrogative function of the interrogative pronoun is formed. the semi-edging semantics are generated after the prototype semantics, the semantic features of the semi-edging semantics are [-query] and [+reference], and the non-interrogative referring function of interrogative pronoun is formed. the feature of the edging semantics are [-query] and [-reference], which indicates that all of the prototype semantic features have been lost, and the subjective modal function of interrogative pronoun is formed. The mechanism and motivation of the semantic category expansion of interrogative pronouns include the radiation of prototype semantics, the projection of metaphor and metonymy and the intervention of subjective factors.