Motifs in the formation of antonymous compounds in Chinese.

ABSTRACT: This study is an attempt to deal with the derivation, interpretation and formation of antonymous compounds, a unique morphological and rhetorical device in the Chinese language. A corpus of antonymous compounds has been designed and developed. It consists of all the antonymous compounds drawn from a dictionary of Chinese antonyms, in which there are a total of four thousand thirty-nine pairs of antonyms. Phonological, morphosyntactic and semantic features of antonymous compounds have been described and explained. Motifs behind the ordering of conjoined members in antonymous compounds have been analyzed. The findings in this study have shown that, in the process of its formation, an antonymous compound is subject to human experience and perception conditioned by cultural values. The findings have clearly shown that the ordering of conjoined members in antonymous compounds is not arbitrary. When creating antonymous compounds, the Chinese people tend to coordinate or combine the bipolar terms either by following logical sequences which are based on human experience, or by following cultural value-loaded sequences which are based on human value systems. The findings provide some further evidence to support the argument that human language is not an autonomous, self-contained system.

1. INTRODUCTION. Arbitrariness is often regarded as one of the fundamental principles of modern linguistics. Ever since the time of Saussure, linguists, as well as others especially interested in language study, have generally insisted upon the arbitrary relationship between the form and the meaning of linguistic signs, and the arbitrariness in word formation and language structures. As Waugh (1993:71) has summarized:

 
   One of the ideas recues of all the disciplines that study language 
   is the assumption that the relation between sound and meaning is 
   arbitrary. And this is so whether language is at the center of 
   concern or is one among a number of topics of study. That is, 
   textbooks in linguistics, handbooks of semiotics, manuals of 
   literary and critical theory, discussions of structuralism and 
   poststructuralism all cite as a first principle for language the 
   arbitrariness of the connection between form and meaning. Any 
   aspect of language that goes against this assumption is considered 
   to be only a minor exception to the general rule. 

While the importance of arbitrariness is emphasized, motivation, another principle suggested by Saussure, is often overlooked and neglected. Motivation is generally seen in contrast to arbitrariness. While showing relationships between the signifier and the signified, it is a driving force that leads to the appearance, change, and development of linguistic signs. Saussure, who is usually cited in connection with the principle of the arbitrariness of the linguistic sign, was already aware of the limits of the irrational principle of the arbitrariness of the sign. Saussure (1959:133) pointed out:

 
   In fact, the whole system of language is based on the irrational 
   principle of the arbitrariness of the sign, which would lead to the 
   worst sort of complication if applied without restriction. But the 
   mind contrives to introduce a principle of order and regularity 
   into certain parts of the mass of signs and this is the role of 
   relative motivation. If the mechanism of language were entirely 
   rational, it could be studied independently. Since the mechanism of 
   language is but a partial correction of a system that is by nature 
   chaotic, however, we adopt the viewpoint imposed by the very nature 
   of language and study it as it limits arbitrariness. 
 
   There is no language in which nothing is motivated, and our 
   definition makes it impossible to conceive of a language in which 
   everything is motivated. Between the two extremes--a minimum of 
   organization and a minimum of arbitrariness--we find all possible 
   varieties. Diverse languages always include elements of both 
   types--radically arbitrary and relatively motivated-but in 
   proportions that vary greatly, and this is an important 
   characteristic that may help in classifying them. 

The above citation shows that Saussure realized the limitation of arbitrariness. In his view, motivation is a necessary complementary principle that makes language meaningful to its speakers and is necessary as a counterbalance to arbitrariness. Ironically, Saussure, as well as his followers, has in practice dismissed this principle as unimportant.

The purpose of this study is to explore how motivation works in the formation of antonymous compounds in Chinese. To consider the research question, a corpus of antonymous compounds in Chinese will be developed then the specific research questions addressed in this study will be considered. These research questions include the following: