Analyzing the Phenomenon of English-Chinese Intransitive Verbs with Objects

Received: 06 October 2021 Accepted: 22 November 2021 Published: 15 December 2021 DOI: 10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.12.10 Academics have paid close attention to intransitive verbs with objects as a unique language phenomenon. This article aims to examine the phenomenon of intransitive verbs carrying objects in Chinese from the standpoints of syntactic structure and cognitive linguistic theory. The object of intransitive verbs is categorized, as well as the syntactic structure of intransitive verbs with objects. Additionally, a comparison of English and Chinese intransitive verbs with objects is made, and the structure of intransitive verbs with objects is analyzed for rationality. The analysis of 38 international students' actual learning situations, as well as valid questionnaires and corpora, is used to determine whether second language learners from various language systems can comprehend and master the structure of "intransitive verbs with object" in Chinese despite significant language system differences. Finally, despite the impact of COVID19 on the project survey, we discovered that students whose first language was not Chinese had varying levels of bias in their perception and acquisition of intransitive verbs with objects, owing to the negative effects of their mother tongue and different teaching methods. Most notably, the versatility of the syntactic structure of "intransitive verbs with objects" complicates learning Chinese syntax, which is already difficult in comparison to English. This leads us to believe that more study is required to further our understanding of the peculiar grammatical phenomenon known as "intransitive verbs with objects" and to apply our findings to the study of contemporary Chinese and language learning. KEYWORDS


Introduction 1
The verb with objects is a highly scholarly kind of grammatical composition in current Chinese grammar. Chinese grammarians classify verbs as transitive or intransitive depending on their ability to transport an object directly. Transitive verbs can carry an object directly, whereas intransitive verbs cannot. In contemporary Chinese, it makes sense for transitive verbs to carry an object, but the phenomena of certain intransitive verbs carrying an object seem nonsensical, particularly for non-native Chinese learners. As modern linguistics advanced, several of the most typical intransitive verbs in contemporary Chinese became transitive. The transition from transitive to intransitive verbs is gradual. The question is, what causes verbs to change from transitive to intransitive? Grammar academics have lauded the growing popularity of this kind of language arrangement. On the other side, such linguistic expressions exacerbate the difficulty of learning Chinese for second language learners whose native language is not Chinese. As a result, this normally difficult grammatical phenomenon has progressively become one of the most popular academic areas of theoretical inquiry in the grammar field.

Literature Review
Numerous academics have generated fruitful research results by constructing a fairly comprehensive theoretical examination of this grammatical phenomenon, focusing in particular on the grammatical and semantic elements of the structure of Chinese "intransitive verb with object". The following are some classic viewpoints from academics.
The works of Yuan Yulin (2002) used the term "subjective and Peripheral lattice prediction development" to refer to this phenomenon. He reasoned that subjective and environmental arguments might be realized as objects via the process of predication development, which is formed by mark coordination. 23 The study by C. T. James  discussed Chinese verbs' thematic theory and thematic structure before arguing for the unaccusative Constructions hypothesis. Additionally, it notes that the Chinese "retained object" and "intransitive verb with object" phrase patterns may all be explained by appropriate syntactic analysis. 4 The works of Hu Jianhua (2008) addresses the production of this sort of syntax in Chinese, focusing on "verb movement" and the "syntax-information structure interface." Hu explores the syntactic and semantic criteria under which this structure may and cannot be produced, explains the causes for its structure, and draws the related conclusions： The components of the syntactic output to the information structure must adhere to the information structure's fundamental criteria for successful sorting of relevant information. 5 According to Professor Pan Haihua's (2008), grammar research named this intransitive verb pattern "retained object structure." He underlined that the Chinese "retained object structure" may be adequately defined in terms of universal grammatical theories such as case theory, theoretic criteria, unaccusative hypothesis, and passive theory, among others. 6 Professor Pan Haihua(2005) used universal grammar theory concepts to study numerous syntactic expressions and basic characteristics of Chinese unaccusative verb structures. 7 Scholars' study mostly focuses on the characteristics of intransitive verbs with various object structures. They sought to account for this atypical behaviour via the theoretical lenses of semantics, oblique object 8 , verb valence 9 , and the unaccusative hypothesis 1011 and analyze the sources of this structure.
Certain researchers also research from a cognitive linguistics perspective. The concept of "cognitive scene" 12 proposed by scholar Lu Yingshun (2017), who has made substantial contributions to cognitive theory, provides a novel perspective on this kind of organization. The "cognitive scene" is the daily, mostly regular pattern of the human mind. It distinguishes between static and dynamic cognitive modes of operation. The term "static mode of cognition" refers to our ongoing awareness of a certain object. For instance, we may learn about the built-in features and functions of a "tablet computer design." The term "dynamic cognition mode" refers to the cognitive components through which people perceive a variety of actions and the techniques, time, location, and other cognitive factors that may be used to determine the behavioural traits associated with this activity. The "cognitive scene" activates these cognitive components. For example, the behaviour of "chi(eating)", what kind of thing is eaten, and the tools used in the process of eating may also be related to it. People in some places of the globe must eat with chopsticks or knives and forks, and food must be preserved in different containers such as bowls, etc., such as Chinese"chi dawan". From the perspective of the cognitive scene, it implies"yong dawan chi(eat with a big bowl)".
Gestalt, image schema, and other concepts akin to the "cognitive scene" cannot be reconciled with the cognitive scene's meaning. Lu Yingshun asserts that the "cognitive scene" serves as the basis for analyzing grammatical and semantic occurrences. It is based on regular people's everyday cognitive experiences and is shared by many individuals.

Corpus Analysis Methodology
This work examines the grammatical structure of "intransitive verb with object" from a cognitive linguistics perspective. The primary sources for the first phase are People's Daily news releases and other well-known media, which provide numerous examples of the grammatical phenomenon of "intransitive verb with an object."

3.2The use of questionnaires
We distributed electronic surveys to Chinese second language learners at our school and other schools via internet channels such as WeChat. Following that, questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Additionally, surveys effectively expanded the corpus and assessed Chinese language learners' understanding of "intransitive verb with object" as a foundation for practical analysis.

3.3A pragmatic approach to analysis
Later in the study, the project team established a research direction for Chinese online teaching and established a relevant website and official WeChat account to serve as the project platform for Chinese teaching practice, based on COVID-19 and "Internet+" era elements. Considering the legitimate questionnaires returned and the practical teaching circumstances, the project team performed a detailed practical investigation of the difficulty and mastery of "intransitive verb with object" by Chinese second language learners.

4.1The phenomenon of intransitive verbs with objects in Chinese
In contemporary Chinese, the structure of a transitive verb with an object corresponds to people's cognition, is a familiar term, fits their cognitive image, and the cognitive parts correspond to the general matter connection. For instance, the transitive verb "see" may be followed by a noun to create the usual verb-object structure. The "cognitive element" activated by the word "see" is often a creature with eyes, such as a "human being," and the object it is looking at, such as a "landscape," "book," or similar item. Additionally, our everyday experience teaches us that television, literature, and similar mediums all need individuals to look with their eyes. In contrast to the "transitive verb with object", the"intransitive verb with object"deviates from traditional material relationships, making it quite perplexing.
In contemporary Chinese, the structure of the intransitive verb with an object has gradually permeated the cognitive landscape. Different grammatical structures might express the same objective occurrence, the same connection. The terms "intransitive verb + object" and "prepositional phrase/other modifier + intransitive verb" or "intransitive verb + preposition/auxiliary + object" both refer to the same factual connection and may be used interchangeably to aid in the structure's comprehension. People are not familiar with this expression in example (1), but people are familiar with "zai yeshenghuojie (walking and eating in the nightlife festival)". Both terms convey the same message about the matter. However, the "intransitive verb with object" is governed grammatically by the verb-object form, which is similar to the "action-object".The bias relation governs the grammatical connection between the two components of the"prepositional phrase/other modifier + intransitive verb", which is "modifying sense + core sense".Thus, in the instance of "guangchi yeshenghuojie" , the "yeshenghuojie(nightlife festival)" is seen as the "object" of the action, but in the case of "zai yeshenghuojie guangchi", the "yeshenghuojie(nightlife festival)" is regarded as the "location" of the action (part of the environmental information). Generally, the phrase "guangchi yeshenghuojie" is not used, since "yeshenghuojie (nightlife festival)" is more of a location than an object. Table 1 Similarly, "wangluo(network)" and "Beijing dongzhiwuyuan(Beijing Zoo and Botanical Garden)" in instances (2) and (3) are more often recognized as environmental information.,therefore, the original "intransitive verb with object" can be substituted by "preposition 'zai' + original object (as adverbial) + intransitive verb", and the semantics remain unchanged. The headlines of news releases are concise and deep. Therefore, example (4) should be fully expressed as "Awati County gonghui baifu huajuan，bing ba zhefu huajuan zuowei heli,xiang jiandang bainian xianli(Awati County has drawn a hundred pictures and used this picture as a gift for the centenary of the founding of the party)". example (5) can be understood as "Wuhan,Hubei shishi quanhangye shuzihua gaizao--xiang shuzi jingji fali,zhutui chanye ronghe(Wuhan, Hubei implements the digital transformation of the whole industry-working hard towards the digital economy and boosting industrial integration)". It can be seen that in the above example sentence, "intransitive verb with object" replaces "preposition 'xiang' + original object (as adverbial) + intransitive verb" in the original sentence. For the sake of simplicity and accuracy, the verb-object connection has been substituted with a biased relationship.

VP VP
Vi NP PP Vi (Object) xiang(to) NP (as Adverbial) Table 2

Intransitive verb + preposition/ auxiliary+ object
In addition to adding prepositions before intransitive verbs to form "prepositional phrases/other modifiers + intransitive verbs" to replace the phenomenon of "intransitive verbs with objects", there is a construction in which the intransitive verb is preceded by a preposition or an auxiliary, "zhe,le" resulting in "intransitive verb + preposition/auxiliary + object." In example (7), the adjectives"mei(beautiful)"and"nuan(warm)"are repurposed as intransitive verbs, giving the pattern"V+le+O". The object structure "V+le+O" is explored as a sticky structure, using the transitive verb as a starting point. In general, intransitive verbs and adjectives cannot have an object, and hence these formulations are illogical to speak and do not fit into the cognitive picture. The "O" in "Vi+le+O" is new information, both a semantic and natural focus. After adding the auxiliary"le", Vi activates the cognitive element O, increasing the word length in form and expressing richer content. In example (8), the intransitive verb "teng(vacate)、pao(run)" combined with the preposition "chu(out)" correctly activates the object element and falls inside the range of perception. In comparison to example (8), consider example (6). In example (6), the preposition 'chu(out)' is missing, which is contrary to Chinese grammar, yet the sentence's semantic substance is still discernible.

VP VP
Vi N Vi +preposition/ auxiliary N (Object) (as Complements) Table 3 (9) Bowuguan wenchuang，ruhe "qianshou"shuzihua. Other verbs that can often be used in this way and are accepted are the Chinese intransitive verbs "lianshou,qianshou,xieshou(all three of these verbs can be translated into English as 'hold hands')" and so on. "lianshou,qianshou,xieshou" is often combined with the prepositions "yu,he,gen(all three of which can be translated as 'with')" to form phrases "Noun 1 + yu/he/gen (with) + noun 2 +lianshou/qianshou/xieshou(join hands)", in which the preposition acts as parallel conjunction, joining the two nouns before and after to become the subject of the sentence, activating the intransitive verb and the object component following it. In example (10), the phrase "Beijing gaoxiao lianshou Hubei gaodeng xueyuan(Beijing university joins hands with Hubei higher education institute)" can be converted to "Beijing gaoxiao yu Hubei gaodeng xueyuan lianshou(Beijing university joins hands with Hubei higher education institute)". Similarly, such a conversion would apply to example (9) (11). N +Vi +N N +preposition + N + Vi (Subject) (Object) (Subject) (conjunction)

The stylistic characteristics of Chinese "intransitive verb with object" in the current era
It is not always evident if an utterance is normative or not; when the same linguistic phrases are used and observed more often, they gradually become habitual, resulting in the establishment of new standards. Additionally, each irregular cognitive statement has a distinct cognitive semantics and base. The cognitive scene formed and triggered by the usage of linked words will stimulate specific cognitive aspects that have evolved into the fundamental semantic underpinning for their manifestation.
The grammatical structure of "intransitive verb with object" mainly appears in the spoken language, such as: However, in the news style, intransitive verbs take objects more often, and some written verbs can take objects directly.
The above examples demonstrate the broad need for increased linguistic efficiency in today's digital era. People in today's culture desire an efficient, fast-paced method of conveying as much information as possible in the shortest amount of time feasible in order to maximize the balance between language's function and the utility of information. The novel grammatical principle of "intransitive verb with object" is fast gaining traction. While these instances do not always adhere to the fundamental rules of current Chinese use, the fundamental meaning is completely understood since they are consistent with the link between matter and reason. In this view, the normal matter-reason link provides the foundation for intransitive verbs' perception of objects.

The phenomenon of intransitive verbs with objects in English
Chinese students studying English will encounter expressions such as "He lives in a large mansion." and "fly the nation." Although "live" and "fly" are grammatically intransitive verbs, they are utilized as transitive verbs in this sort of phrase, demonstrating the transitivity of intransitive verbs. What are the precise language manifestations of intransitive verbs' transitivity, and how does semantics play a role in this, have been the topic of much discussion and research.
(1) I wish I could travel the world someday.
(2) I just want to know why you are ranging the woods. The verbs 'journey, range, and wait' in phrases (1) to (3) are generated by deleting the preposition from the phrase 'travel over, range through, and wait at /on the table'. Because the preposition is removed, the noun that served as the preposition's object becomes the verb's object, and therefore these intransitive verbs may take an object. Additionally, a preposition establishes a relationship between the agent and the recipient, as in (4). In example (5), the intransitive verb is followed by an agent object, which is equivalent to the with-phrase. Theoretically, all intransitive verbs have a single theoretical argument. In English, the sole theoretical argument for the majority of intransitive verbs is that they are preceded by a subject, which precludes any theoretical argument. For instance, the incorrect phrasing for"A bus comes" is "A bus comes". In contrast, the independent argument follows the intransitive verb in a placepreposition or their sentence type, e.g. (6) (7) (8). In example (9), the intransitive verb becomes a causative verb after adding an object, "stand=cause to stand", which means making the bottle stand on the armrest. The word "cry" in example (10) is similarly an intransitive verb, but with the subject-verb structure "herself even blind" as an object, it acquires the connotation of "outcome." (11) She died a heroic death. (12) Suli breathed a deep breath. Intransitive verbs like "die" and "breathe" are those that are followed by a cognate object, as seen in example (11). (12). Frequently, the cognate object is followed by another adjective or modifier, and this structure is semantically equivalent to an adverb as an adverbial." She died a heroic death" is semantically equivalent to "She died heroically", and "Suli breathed a deep breath" is equivalent to "Suli breathed deeply".
Although the phrase "intransitive verbs can carry objects" is used in both the English and Chinese language systems, the two have significant grammatical and syntactic differences. Additionally, the cognitive elements that must be activated in various language systems vary.

Distinction between "intransitive verbs with objects" in Chinese and English
Although both languages are good at transitiveizing intransitive verbs with the help of prepositions, such as "shui shafa=zai shafashang shuijiao(sleeping on the sofa)" "zou gangsi=zai gangsishang Zou(walking on the tightrope)" "fly the country=fly out of the country", however, there are also major disparities in the usage of transitive and intransitive verbs in the two language systems, not only in the semantic and pragmatic distinctions between the words themselves but also in the grammar associated with such verbs in the two language systems.
(13) Ta genben yongbuzhao caoxin qian. She doesn't need to worry about money at all. There's no need for her to worry about money now with good living conditions.
In this sentence, the Chinese vocabulary "caoxin" usually belongs to transitive verbs; in English sentences, the English verb corresponding to "caoxin" is called "worry", and "worry" belongs to non-transitive verbs. This results in a situation in which some transitive verbs are used as intransitive verbs in the other language system, despite their lexical meanings being similar or identical; conversely, some intransitive verbs may have a transitive lexical form in the other language system.
There are significant grammatical distinctions between the two linguistic phenomena and the differences in word usage. The intransitive verbs listed in the English dictionary are found in the pre-place phrase structure and their sentence pattern. Such grammatical structures, however, do not exist in contemporary Chinese grammar. In Chinese, the intransitive verb with objects is more frequently encountered in news genres, while in spoken language, the intransitive verb is more frequently expressed through a preposition or auxiliary. However, according to their linguistic habits, individuals occasionally contribute directly to the intransitive and object. E.g.: (6) In the sky appeared a flock of birds.=Tiankongzhong chuxianle yiqun niao. English usually allows intransitive verbs to be transformed into verbs without causative nature, thus adding an object to it, while Chinese does not have such a situation. like: (9) She stood the milk bottle on the armrest of the crib.=Ta ba naiping fangzai yingerchuangde fushoushang.
Whenever an intransitive verb appears in English, the unique theoretical argument of the intransitive verb can generally only be used directly before the verb as the subject of the sentence in the English surface structure, whereas in modern Chinese, the unique theoretical element of the intransitive verb can even be placed directly after the intransitive verb and used directly as the object of the verb (e.g. (6)(7)(8)). Unlike in English, such expressions are strictly regulated in the Chinese language system. The object of an intransitive verb is used in the following ways in the Chinese lexicon: as the focal point of contrast or as the noun of place, manner, time, object, and instrument. 13 As a result, most intransitive verbs we encounter appear in statements beginning with " prepositional phrase/other modifier + intransitive verb" or" intransitive verb + preposition/auxiliary + object".

Reflections on Chinese language acquisition
The teaching of verbs has long been one of the most challenging components of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, and the popularity of the current Chinese phrase "intransitive verb with object" has made it more difficult to learn Chinese to a certain degree. For non-native speakers, the negative transfer of vocabulary and grammar from their own language makes learning this grammatical framework even more challenging.
The project team performed 38 one-on-one Chinese teaching sessions and issued 1,112 online surveys, 997 of which were replied to, yielding an 89.7 percent response rate. The project team undertook a comprehensive study and examination of second language learners' difficulties and mastery growth in learning "intransitive verbs with object" using a mix of questionnaire analysis and practical instruction. Some of the case studies are provided in Table 6 The findings of the survey demonstrate that this is a challenging question. In contemporary English, the verb "sign" is a transitive verb, whereas in contemporary Chinese, the verb "qianyue(sign)" is an intransitive verb. "Sign a contract for three years" belongs to the transitivity of intransitive verbs. It is extremely difficult for foreign students whose native language is not Chinese to express such sentences. Table 6： part of the analysis of the case Table 7: What do you find the most difficult about learning Chinese?
As the chart plainly indicates, in addition to the majority of individuals identifying Chinese characters and tones as the most difficult aspect of the language to acquire, there is a tiny group of people who struggle with intransitive verbs with objects.
Academics generally agree that teaching Chinese grammar focuses on Chinese phrases, sentences, and discourse organization intending to enhance student's capacity to communicate effectively in Chinese. Effective input results in vivid and realistic output. We analyzed the 38 students who took part in the project's real learning.
The 38 pupils were randomly assigned to one of two groups, A or B. Group A received immersion instruction, in which students were immersed in a Chinese language circumstance and learnt via an interactive process known as 'input-understanding-output.' On the other hand, Group B got the ostensibly more effective conventional method of teaching grammar followed by practice. Student 1 (Group A) and Student 2 (Group B) were used as examples in this section. Student 1 and Student 2 were analyzed based on their real instruction in intransitive verbs with objects.
The instructor and the student get acquainted with the most often encountered grammatical structures in Chinese conversation. Stage 2 The student becomes more proactive in using what they've learned to constructively interact with the instructor.

Stage 3
The student develops not just knowledge of intransitive verbs with objects but also proficiency in their use. The instructor instructs this student on grammar via a fill-in-the-blank approach. Stage 2 Despite the student's best efforts, he or she is unable to utilize the grammar properly or even understands how to apply it.

Stage 3
After a length of time, the student has forgotten what he or she recalled partly or entirely. Table 9: Learning for student 2 Language acquisition research indicates that learning of a grammatical point does not occur in a linear fashion but rather in a jagged, U-shaped fashion or even in a brief regression. Unlike the teaching of native Chinese speakers in China, the classroom teaching of verbs is based on a gradual progression from easy to difficult, and teachers should use a variety of teaching methods when explaining vocabulary, creating contexts in which students can naturally comprehend and acquire the meaning of words. When teaching Chinese as a foreign language, if the teacher is familiar with the student's mother tongue, we should use the students' acquisition and use of their native language as a foundation, supplemented by native Chinese learners' use of the structure, while simultaneously grasping the common features of the two languages in the structure's use, consciously avoiding negative transfer of the mother tongue, and minimizing the occurrence of errors, in order to improve the linguistic proficiency.

Conclusion
Verbs have always been critical in contemporary Chinese, and the acquisition and use of transitive and intransitive verbs is a critical and challenging area. Second language learners find it more difficult to learn due to the complexity of the "intransitive verb with object" grammatical phenomenon. The hope is that this study will increase people's awareness of this grammatical phenomenon, allowing learners to communicate more effectively, circumvent communicative barriers, and maximize their learning efficiency. Simultaneously, a comparative analysis of how this structure is used and applied in other language systems can significantly aid in the acquisition of Chinese as a second language.
This study is still in its early stages, and there is undoubtedly much more that can be done to improve and enhance it. Firstly, it relies too heavily on the research findings of its predecessors and lacks its own theoretical innovation. Secondly, the corpus analyzed in the early stage of this study was mostly taken from news headlines, which reflected the modern language's characteristic of advocating simplicity but lacked the study of living language, and therefore the study lacked universality. Again, due to COVID-19, the number of international students staying in school is limited, the number of valid questionnaires collected from the questionnaires distributed is limited, and the international students who participated in the questionnaires are not of the same Chinese language level. Therefore, the analysis results lack reliability. It is on the basis of the limitations mentioned above; the author feels that there is a need to continue to follow up and perform research in this field. In the future, the study may be pursued in numerous areas such as nationality, age-range and corpus