Semantic Features of the Verb来 [LÁI]

Abstract

Describing the semantics of a verb is a much more difficult task. Because the content of the verb depends in many ways on its distribution. With this in mind, verbs are classified according to the direction of their meaning and the presence or absence of subject-objects with which they interact, and their number, if any. Chinese language researchers classify action verbs as part of a group of action verbs. These verbs can appear in a sentence as an independent verb predicate or as an additional part of speech as a modifier or directional morpheme. These simple verbs represent 来 [lái] to come and 去 [qù] to leave directions of action. They form compound verbs with the same meaning. The verb 来  to come is used when the action is directed to the speaker (or object), and the verb 去 to leave is used if the action is directed away from the speaker (or object). Orientation, in turn, can be set by the object or subject: when the orientation is indicated in the sentence - the object, if not specified - by the subject. Verb 来 [lái] is included in the group of basic simple action verbs in Chinese. The peculiarity of the semantics of the verb 来 [lái] to come is that it determines not only the orientation or direction of the action but also the point of the message, who (or what) describes the situation. The article examines the semantic features of the verbs of 来 [lái] directions of action. Based on the materials in Liu Shushiang’s book “现 代 汉 语 八 百 词. 吕 叔 湘” (800 words in modern Chinese), the models of 来 [lái] verbs as independent and auxiliary verbs are analyzed.