The unique behaviors of emotional (or psychological) predicates have long been
studied as a central issue in developing theoretical accounts for the interaction of
lexical semantics and argument realization (cf. Talmy, Grammatical categories and
the lexicon, 1985; Talmy, Typology and process in concept structuring, 2000; Croft,
Surface subject choice of mental verbs, 1986; Dowty, Language 67: 547–619, 1991;
Jackendoff, Semantic structures, 1991; Jackendoff, Language, consciousness, culture:
essays on mental structure, 2007; Van Voorst, Linguistics and Philosophy 15: 65–92,
1992; Levin, English verb classes and alternations: a preliminary investigation, 1993;
Pesetsky, Zero syntax, 1995. etc.). As a preliminary attempt to integrate seemingly
diverse proposals, this paper aims to explore the possible range of conceptualizing
and hence lexicalizing emotion-related states and activities, by examining the intriguing
interactions between lexical and constructional form-meaning mapping relations
realized in Mandarin emotional predicates. While it is commonly recognized that
emotional predicates differ in selecting an Experiencer or a Stimulus as subject, a
tripartite distinction is attested with Mandarin emotional predicates as they display
three unique patterns in terms of subject selection, morphological makeup and
constructional association. The range of lexical-to-constructional variations in Mandarin
lead to the postulation of a distinct causative relation—Affector to Affectee, reminiscent
of the notion Effector proposed in Van Valin and Wilkins (Van Valin and Wilkins,
Grammatical constructions: their form and meaning, 1996). Three major lexicalization
patterns can thus be identified for the emotion lexicon: Experiencer-as-subject,
Stimulus-as-subject, and Affector-as-subject. The three lexicalization patterns highlight
three distinct ways of conceptualizing emotions. Finally, the isomorphic relation
between lexical and constructional patterns in Mandarin is further discussed with its
theoretical implications.

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• Emotion in lexicon and grammar: lexicalconstructional interface of Mandarin emotional predicates