Chapter 5: LEXICAL EXPRESSIONS OF PATH MOTION
5.3.1. Construction grammar of LEsPM in Vietnamese
This part explores the form-meaning correspondences of LEsPM in Vietnamese.
This exploration includes: (i) the arguments arranged around the path verbs; and (ii) the information of different situations packed in the path verbs.
5.3.1.1. Argument Structures of LEsPM in Vietnamese
Table 5.5 summarizes the argument structures of LEsPM in Vietnamese, which is grouped into four categories; (i) numbers of arguments in each expression, (ii) argument structures; (iii) the number of verbs; and (iv) distribution of each type.
Table 5.5. Argument structures of LEsPM in Vietnamese
Number of Args Argument structures Verbs %
1 a. V[Figure] 18 47.3
2 b.V[Figure Place] 11 28.9
c.V[Figure Ground] 23 60.5
d. V[Figure Path] 17 44.7
3 e. V[Figure Ground Manner] 9 23.6
a. V [Figure]
The path verbs in this structure are the intransitive path verbs because they have one argument of the Figure. This structure denotes that the motion of the Figure is considered a result of motion, but not a process. As a result, the Ground as well the Path is not mentioned. There are 18 path verbs, making up 47.3%, found in the data (e.g., biến khỏi, co quắp, đế, đến gần, đi, đi đầu, đi khỏi, hạ cánh, lên, lùi, nhập cư, ra, tản cư, tới, trở lại, trốn thoát, vào and xuống) in this structure. Take (5.29) as an example, in which Em is the Figure and đi is motion.
(5.29) Em không đi. (VS08-125)
I didn’t go.
b. V [Figure Place]
This structure denotes that the motion takes place in harmony with the Ground. In other words, the Figure’s motion is limited by that Ground, so this structure does not include the Path and Ground. There are 11 path verbs found in the data, occupying 28, 9%, in this structure (e.g., dạo, đi, đột kích, gục, hạ cánh, lùi, ra, trốn thoát and vào) with two arguments such as the Figure một bóng người and the Place trong ngõ.
(5.30) Bỗng một bóng người cứng nhắc xồng xộc vào trong ngõ. (VS01-647) Suddently, a person quickly entered the gate.
c. V [Figure Ground]
There are 23 the path verbs, making up 60.5% consisting of two arguments, which are the Figure and the Ground. Thus, these path verbs are the transitive path verbs (e.g., bỏ xa, cập, cúi, dạo, đến, đến gần, đi, đi khỏi, đột kích, ghé, lại, lên, lùi, qua, ra, theo đuổi, tới, trèo, trở lại, trốn thoát, vào and xuống). As a result, this structure may be conceptualized as the perspectival system of direction in which the Ground plays a role of configuration for motion, perspectival direction more specially. Relying on the positions of the Ground, the path verbs encode various directions. For example, as the Ground (lầu) in (5.31) is in a higher position than the Figure, the verb (lên) encodes the direction of up.
d. V [Figure Path]
This structure has two arguments, which are the Figure and the Path. In this structure, while the Figure refers to the moving object, the Path encodes motion and its direction.
The Figure and the Path of motion are more prominent, so the Ground is not mentioned because it may be understood or mentioned earlier. Therefore, this structure is framed by the Paths (e.g, lại, về, qua, sang, tới, lên, xuống, etc). Moreover, this event may be conceptualized as the configuration of prospective direction because the event – sequence of motion is viewed from the perspective of the starting point. This expression consists of 17 verbs, making up 44.7% (e.g., chum, chụm, co, cúi, co quắp, doãi, đi, ghé, gục, khép, khuỳnh, khuỵu, lùi, ngả, ngoảnh, quay and ưỡn).
(5.32) Đã mấy lần Loan ngập ngừng muốn quay về.(VS10-379) Loan hesitated to return for several times.
e. V [Figure Ground Manner]
This structure consists of three arguments including Figure, Ground and Manner in which the Figure denotes the moving object and the Ground is considered as the configuration for the motion event. In this case, the path verbs are transitive verbs which simultaneously denote the direction and the motion. However, they are not really translational verbs, but verbs of act because they tend to denote actions rather motion (e.g., đi, đến, tới, qua, sang, lại, về, etc). The Manner encodes styes of motion and refers to the change of position implicitly through vehicles (e.g, bằng xe đạp, bằng mày bay, bằng ô tô). There are 9 path verbs in Vietnamese found in the data, occupying 23.6%. Take an illustrative example, the verb (đi) in (5.33) refers to the action of đi, xe đạp encodes both the Manner and translation.
(5.33) Nó chợt thấy có hai người đi xe đạp ngang qua chợ.(VS04-103) Suddently, he saw two people cycle through the market.
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5.3.1.2. Event structures of LEsPM in Vietnamese
Table 5.6 summaries the event structures of LEsPM in Vietnamese, which is grouped into three categories such as (i) types of events; (ii) semantic features; and (iii) the path verbs denoting each of events.
Table 5.6. Event structures of LEsPM in Vietnamese
Event structures Types of Lexical Verbs %
events aspects
a. States Bounded Atelic 0 0
Punctual Perfective
b. Activities Unbounded Atelic 10 26.3
Durational Imperfective
c. Achievements Bounded Telic 26 68.4
Punctual Imperfective
d. Accomplishments Bounded Telic 2 5.2
Durational Pefective
Total 38 100
a. Event of States
This event refers to the two lexical aspects such as Atelic and Perfective. The first property refers to motion events without endpoints. The second property postulates that the event of States is stative situations which cannot express progressive motion events. As a result, there are no verbs found in the data denoting this event.
b. Event of Activities
This event has two lexical aspects, which are Atelic and Imperfective. First, the Atelic aspect depicts that the path verbs do not require an endpoint, so the path verbs denoting event are generally the intransitive path verbs. Next, the Imperfective aspect refers to dynamic situations in which the path verbs can denote the continuous motion. Also, the event of achievements is involved in unbounded and durational properties. The former property depicts that speakers tend to observe the whole process of the event, from the starting point (the sky) to the endpoint of the event (the airport) as in (5.34). The latter
one means that the event always lasts a certain length of time. There are 10 path verbs (26.3%) (e.g., chúm, co, doãi, dạo, co and hạ, etc) found in the data.
(5.34) Phi cơ bắt đầu hạ thấp cao độ. (VN02-541)
The jet started to reduce the height.
c. Event of Achievements
The event of Achievements denotes that the Figure of motion is necessary to move toward the Ground. In other words, the path verbs always consist of an endpoint and are transitive verbs as “ngả” in (5.35). The imperfective property means that this is dynamic motion, which can express a progressive motion at a certain time. Additionally, this event is also associated with more properties like bounded and punctual, which focus the punctual moment of the event’s termination and invoke a preceding culminating. This is the most common event in Vietnamese including 26 path verbs, making up 68.4% (e.g, biến khỏi, bỏ xa, cúi, đi khỏi, đột kích, ghé and ngả, etc).
(5.35) Anh sẽ ngả con chó nằm ngửa trên một tấm ny lông.(VS12-234) He will lean himself so that his dog can lie on the sheet of plastic.
d. Event of Accomplishments
The last event denotes the motion with an endpoint and an undynamic situation. This event is the least common in Vietnamese, which have two path verbs (e.g., khuỳnh and trốn) found in the data denoting this event. In order to denote this event, these path verbs often take a certain duration for their completion and require an energy source, an intentional human activity in other words. It seems that speakers only focus on the conclusion of the event.
(5.36) Nguyễn Miên Miên mới trốn ra khỏi biệt thự. (VS09-350) Nguyen Mien Mien has just escaped from the vila.