earticle

영어

The purpose of this paper is to investigate English Get+V-en construction on the basis of the schema category theory proposed by Langacker(1987, 2000, 2009). Contrary to the passive or non-passive attribution of the Get+V-en construction, this study proposes that the Get+V-en construction is a fuzzy set that designates the gradient feature and its schema instantiates itself by abstracting the general features of the prototype and its extension. The passivization of the Get+V-en construction ranks in three layers, where the central Get-passive (agentful or agentless) serves as the prototype at the first layer. The psychological, reflexive, and reciprocal Get-passives are regarded as semi-Get-passives, functioning as instantiation one at the second layer. Both the adjectival and the formulaic Get-passives can be construed as pseudo Get-passives, representing instantiation two at the third level. The component get shows gradient features from lexical to copular, and V-en demonstrates a dynamic change being either verbal or adjectival in different variants of the Get+V-en construction. The schematic characterization of the central Get-passive can be summarized as follows: Get is a ‘semi-grammaticalized’ word that lies in between lexical verbs and genuine auxiliaries; The Get-passive is generally compatible with dynamic verbs with a causative meaning denoting a resultative state; It is subject-oriented and characteristically used in clauses involving adversity or benefit.