A study on machine translation of resultative constructions

Authors

  • Xiaoxia Pan

    College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Sichuan University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18063/fls.v3i1.1252

Abstract

Based on an empirical investigation on data collected from four popular machine translation systems, this paper explores the current problems machine translation is confronted with in translating Chinese resultative constructions into English. The paper analyzes their syntactic and semantic differences in construction and in verbal pattern. The paper then further elaborates on the problems and reveals a truth that Chinese resultative construction poses a great challenge to machine translation for being very productive and flexible. Its productivity is credited to the fact that the main verbs in Chinese are mostly implied-fulfillment verbs. Its flexibility could be attributed to the hypothesis that there are fewer constraints on the co-occurrence of the main verb and the resultative in Chinese resultative construction. Finally, possible solutions are proposed in an attempt to solve the problems.

Keywords:

resultative construction, machine translation, implied-fulfillment verb

References

Beavers J (2012) Resultative constructions. In: Binnick RI (ed) Oxford Handbook on Tense and Aspect. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.908–933.

Chang C (1997) V-V compounds in mandarin Chinese: Argument structure and semantics. In: Packard JL (ed) New Approaches to Chinese Word Formation. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, pp.77–102.

Feng Z (2018) Parallel development of machine translation and artificial intelligence. Journal of Foreign Languages 41(6): 35–48.

Guo R (1995) The valence structure and componential integration of resultative construction in Chinese. In: Shen Y and Zheng D (eds) Research on Valence Grammar of Modern Chinese. Beijing: Peking University Press.

Halliday M (1967) Notes on transitivity and theme in English. Journal of Linguistics 3: 37–81.

Li C (2007) Mandarin resultative verb compounds: Where syntax, semantics, and pragmatics meet. PhD Thesis, Yale University.

Li C (2013) Mandarin resultative verb compounds: Simple syntax and complex thematic relations. Language Sciences 37: 99–121.

Li L (1986) Sentence Patterns of Modern Chinese. Beijing: The Commercial Press.

Li Y (1990) On V-V compounds in Chinese. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 8: 177–207.

Lv S (1980/2012) Modern Chinese 800 Words. Beijing: The Commercial Press.

Ross C (1990) Resultative verb compounds. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association 25(3): 61–83.

Shi C (2008) Study on the Syntax and Semantics of Chinese Resultative Compounds. Beijing: Beijing Language University Press.

Song W (2007) On the Syntax of Modern Chinese V-R Compounds: A Study Based on Conceptual Structures. Beijing: The Peking University Press.

Tai HY and Chou JY (1975) On the equivalent of ‘kill’ in Mandarin Chinese. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association 10 (2): 48–52.

Talmy L (2000) Toward a Cognitive Semantics, Volume II: Typology and Process in Concept Structuring. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Teng S (1972) A semantic study of the transitivity relations. PhD Thesis, University of California Berkeley.

Thepkanjana K and Uehara S (2009) Resultative constructions with ‘‘implied-result’’ and ‘‘entailed-result’’ verbs in Thai and English: A contrastive study. Linguistics 47(3): 589–618.

Thompson SA (1973) Resultative verb compounds in Mandarin Chinese: A case for lexical rules. Language 49: 361–379.

Wang H (1996) What is the semantics of resultative construction in Chinese. Chinese Language Learning 1: 24–27.

Xia Y and Li D (2016) A study on causative meaning of verb-resultative construction in mandarin Chinese based on the generative lexicon theory. In: Dong M, et al. (eds) Chinese Lexical Semantics. Springer International Publishing AG, pp.199–213.

Zou K (1994) Resultative V-V compounds in Chinese. MIT Working Papers in Linguistics 22: 271–290.

Downloads

Issue

Vol. 3 , Iss. 1 (September 2021)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2021 Xiaoxia Pan

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.