The Emergence of the Pragmatic Function of Construction "<i>Di-</i>Noun (of Person)"

The core viewpoint of Emergent Grammar is that grammatical structure and its meaning emerge in the process of language use. The meaning of construction is "the whole is greater than the sum of parts", and the conceptual integration of construction is the process and meaning of its emergence. By discussing the emergent process, motivation and mechanism of the construction of "Di-Noun (of person)" in Shunde dialect, this paper holds that the emergent meaning of the construction generates from the prototype structure to the construction form, and its features of constructionalization emerge in the aspects of syntactic structure, semantic and pragmatic functions. For one hand, the degree of integration between the forms and meanings of the construction "Di-Noun (of person)" rises, thus its meaning can not be deduced from its literal meaning; the semantic restriction on the construction increases, which leads to the increase of solidification of the structure and meaning ; the subjective interaction gradually becomes prominent, thus the construction expresses the speaker's subjective evaluation and concern towards the hearer. On the other hand, the on-site, interactive and immediate nature of conversation is the pragmatic condition for the emergence of the meaning and function of the construction. Emergent Grammar offers important enlightenment to the study of construction and constructionalization that not only the effect of syntactic environment on construction but also the role of conversational environment should be carefully examined.