Description
Book SynopsisThis book is an interdisciplinary study of English binominal quantitative constructions based on English-Chinese comparison. Taking three perspectives, i.e. a functional-typological perspective, a cognitive approach, and a corpus-based method, it aims to unveil the hidden categorisation process behind the usage of English binominal quantitative constructions and to reveal the language universal in cognising the concepts of ‘Quantity’ and ‘Quality’. It argues against treating Chinese and English as members of two opposing typological camps concerning quantification modes (‘classifier languages’ versus ‘non-classifier languages’) and advocates to view the two languages as lying within a more extended and inclusive system, viz. a system of quantification and categorisation modes, or a Quantity-Quality continuum.
Table of ContentsIntroduction – Classification of Classifiers and English QNCs: A Typological Perspective – Categorisation by NCs and QNCs: A Cognitive Perspective – A Corpus-Based Methodology – 1-D QNC Categories: Case Studies of Thread, Strip, and Column –2-D QNC Categories: Case Studies of Sheet and Slice – Conclusion
