The Semantic Features and Cognitive Concepts of Máng “Busy”: A Corpus Linguistics Study of Semantic Profiling

Abstract

<p>本文基於「COCT 書面語語料庫2017」對「忙」的語意特徵及認知概念進行分析。先以單字詞「忙」為單位，分析其語意特徵；再分析「忙得」後方的補語結構，研究「忙」的認知概念。本研究結果顯示「忙」的語意特徵有三類：投注大量心力和時間做某事、在有限的時間抓緊時間做事、表密集繁多，而各類能以不同的語意側重（profile）呈現。「忙」的認知概念類別為：事件狀態、生理表現、情緒。綜合上述兩個類別系統，能發現「忙」的意義具有三個特性：急迫性、消耗性、密集性。</p> <p> </p><p>This study utilized the written data from the "2017 Corpus of Contemporary Taiwanese Mandarin" to analyze the semantic features and cognitive concepts of máng "busy". There were a total of 1,094 instances analyzed, after removing the meanings bāngmáng "help", and other four-character idioms. For analysis, the study firstly analyzed the semantic features of máng and its different semantic profiles. The results showed that the semantic features of máng can be sorted into three types: (1) to describe someone taking a great effort and time to do something; (2) to describe someone seizing the time to finish something urgently; and (3) a dense condition given a specific period of time. Máng can be profiled according to these semantic features. Next, the complements following máng were analyzed for the cognitive concepts of máng. Three categories of cognitive concepts of máng were identified: the state of events, physical performances, and emotions. Together, the semantic features and the cognitive concepts of máng display its urgency, consumptiveness, and density. This study provides a detailed account of a frequently used word in Mandarin, a word so frequently used that we do not normally realize its different profiling of meanings.</p> <p> </p>