Constructional variation, grammaticalization, and constructional network of extreme degree resultatives in Mandarin: A quantitative analysis

This study uses a quantitative approach to examine the constructional variation and constructional network of Mandarin extreme degree resultatives, focusing on [VP/AP-SI/TOU/HUAI]. In these constructions, SI ‘die’, TOU ‘penetrate’ and HUAI ‘go bad’ are categorized as extreme complements of degree. Although sharing general form and meaning, they exhibit distinct collocational preferences. The findings reveal a shift in the prototype of extreme degree resultatives, with [VP/AP-TOU-le] and [VP/AP-HUAI-le] expanding their collocational scopes, while [VP/AP-SI-le] shows the lowest productivity along with its higher degree of grammaticalization. Additionally, the study extends the network of extreme complements of degree to include 55 new members and explores the interactions between complements and constructions. The results suggest a developmental trajectory for extreme degree resultatives and highlight the need for further research on their diachronic relationships and the influence of original meanings on predicate selection.