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Article In: Review of Cognitive Linguistics: Online-First Articles

From objects and processes to categories

Metonymy in Mandarin classifierization

ORCiD logo with link | Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
 | Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
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Abstract
This study proposes a metonymic account of Mandarin classifierization by reframing it as a profile shift, thereby challenging prevailing metaphoric analyses. An investigation of denominal (tiáo vs. gēn) and deverbal (zhāng vs. bǎ) pairs reveals that both denominal and deverbal classifierization are rooted in metonymic chaining yet pivot on distinct operations. Denominal classifierization involves dereferentialization, which backgrounds physical thinghood via two-member chains. Conversely, deverbal classifierization requires a more extensive chain to reconcile the tension between process and property through atemporalization. However, they converge on a dynamic salient property matrix, from which nouns recruit specific dimensions for conceptual alignment. Thus, the semantic relationship between a classifier and its associated nouns is metonymic. As a corollary, matrix dimensionality and chain complexity indicate degrees of metonymicity, situating classifiers along the lexical-functional continuum. The present study yields a unified account of the cognitive mechanisms underlying the re-profiling of nouns and verbs as classifiers.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Previous studies
    • 2.1Classifier functions: Individualization vs. categorization
    • 2.2Grammaticalization, categorization and classifierization
    • 2.3Limitations of metaphoric accounts on classifierization
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Theoretical preliminaries: Metonymy and metonymic chaining
    • 3.2Research material and procedures
  • 4.Metonymic chaining underlying denominal classifierization: tiáo vs. gēn
    • 4.1Case study 1: tiáo
    • 4.2Case study 2: gēn
  • 5.Metonymic chaining underlying deverbal classifierization: zhāng vs. bǎ
    • 5.1Case study 3: zhāng
    • 5.2Case study 4: bǎ
  • 6.General discussion
    • 6.1The metonymic engine: From classifierization to categorization
    • 6.2Metonymicity and the lexical-functional continuum
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
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