基于COCA语料库的动词Witness的扩展意义单位研究
A Corpus-Based Study of the Extended Unit of Meaning of the Verb Witness in COCA

语言学习不应仅限于词法和句法的学习，而应更加关注词汇在语境中的整体性意义。本研究借助美国当代英语语料库(COCA)，以动词witness为节点词来研究扩展意义单位，分析该词的类联接特点、搭配词的语义倾向以及结合语境所体现的语义韵信息。研究发现，动词witness主要与名词、副词搭配，其中名词搭配强调事件描述，副词搭配突出时间体验。此外，该词还能与介词、助动词、副词、代词、冠词和名词等词类进行多样化的类联接，构成丰富的句法结构。在语义倾向方面，witness体现出直接性、亲历性，并常与重大事件相关联。其语义韵以中性和消极倾向为主，积极倾向较少。研究为理解witness词汇提供了新的视角，并为语言学习和教学提供了实用框架。
Language learning should extend beyond morphology and syntax to encompass the holistic meaning of vocabulary in context. This study employs the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) to investigate the extended unit of meaning of the verb witness, analyzing its collocational patterns, the semantic tendencies of its co-occurring words, and semantic prosody information embodied in the context. The findings reveal that the verb witness primarily collocates with nouns and adverbs, with noun collocations emphasizing event description and adverb collocations highlighting temporal experience. Additionally, witness forms diverse syntactic structures through various collocations with prepositions, auxiliary verbs, pronouns, determiners, nouns, and other word classes. In terms of semantic tendencies, witness conveys directness, firsthand experience, and is often associated with significant events. Its semantic prosody is predominantly neutral or negative, with fewer instances of positive connotations. This study provides new insights for understanding the lexical behavior of witness and a practical framework for language learning and teaching.