Negation and underlying spatial cognition: The evolution of Chinese mei (you) as a case study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Negation and spatial experiences are basic to human cognition. While both should be indispensable to the exploration of each other, the relationship between them has seldom been touched upon. This study takes the Chinese negative marker mei (you) as a case study by investigating its evolutionary path in relation to spatial cognition. Drawing on corpus-based data across three historical stages before Modern Chinese, the study yields the following findings. First, the original meaning of mei involves dynamic spatial movement, which can extend to abstract domains. Second, rich concrete meanings of mei trigger semantic schematization at the second stage, spatial cognition playing a fundamental role. Third, the negative marker use of mei combines with you at the third stage, which is attributed to the fact that the spatial existence of you fits with the semantic component of existence in mei. The significance of the study lies in three aspects: first, the division of historical stages accords with the key turning points in the evolution of Chinese; second, the exploration follows a diachronic development, instead of being based merely on static performance; and third, this perspective sheds light on the role of spatial cognition in the conceptualization of negation in both Chinese and other languages.