動態語義學初探

Toward an Emergent View of Lexical Semantics

本文試圖說明，Hopper（1987, 1998）提出的動態語法學原則也適用於詞匯語義學領域。本文具體討論從話語中觀察到的三類動態語義現象：1）因談話人互動而帶來的動態語義現象；2）同義或近義詞受交際制約在篇章中出現語義重新分配現象；3）由高頻率語用而造成的詞語的詞類轉移現象。這三種現象說明，語言單位的語義可以因語言的運用而改變或被確認，脫離語境的語義跟語言運用中的語義並不完全一致，因此有必要借助語言運用來研究語義問題。

In this paper I propose that the principles of Emergent Grammar (Hopper 1987, 1998) can be applied to lexical semantics. I discuss three instances of discourse semantics to show why an emergent view of semantics can provide a realistic account of semantics in discourse. The three cases are: 1) emergence and negotiation of meaning due to participant interaction in discourse; 2) (re)distribution of meanings among perceived synonymous lexical entities due to textual use and communicative demands; and 3) category shift of lexical entities as a result of frequent use in discourse. The results of these case studies are taken as evidence supporting the emergent semantics framework, namely: a) semantic meanings of lexical items and lexical combinations may emerge, be negotiated, and be acquired through language-use; b) meaning in isolation may be at variance with meaning in use; and c) it is indispensable to examine actual discourse practice to understand the nature of lexical semantics.