A Narrative Review of Studies on the Syntax-Lexical Semantics Interface: With Special Reference to the Chinese Language

Abstract

In microlinguistics, the syntax-lexical semantics interface is a key research area that focuses on the interaction between the lexical properties of predicates and the related syntactic structures. This paper provides an overview of the main studies in the area published internationally in the past four decades, categorizing them into three major groups of approaches (the Projectionist, the Constructionist, and the interactive). It also offers a critical reflection on the field and provides suggestions for future research. Two recent trends of research are highlighted: (1) empirical research with evidence from neurocognitive experiments; (2) emphasis shifting from the first language (L1) to second language (L2) acquisition with an eye on linguistic typology and special interest in Chinese, a language of typological significance. We hold that the Projectionist theory or approach could be used to explain the syntactic differences among verbs whereas the Constructionist may be more suitable for explaining the realization of different argument structures of the same verb. The recent interactive and dynamic approach to the syntax-lexical semantics interface seems to have the strongest explanatory power, which is supported by an increasing body of neurocognitive evidence. Further interdisciplinary research from such perspectives as linguistic typology, cognitive psychology and neurocognitive science may be instrumental in solving important issues including Baker’s Paradox and cross-linguistic variation regularities of verb lexicalization.