Cognitive Analysis of Exocentric Verb-Noun Compounds in English

Verb-Noun compounds in English can be classified into endocentric compounds and exocentric ones. Among exocentric Verb-Noun compounds, two types of constructions are very common: ‘Verb + Object = Agent’ construction and ‘Verb + Object =Instrument’ construction. Based on the cognitive analysis of endocentric V+N compounds, this paper argues that exocentric V+N compounds can be analyzed in the same way as endocentric V+N compounds in terms of cognitive concepts such as composite structure, component stem, trajector, landmark, etc. In order to derive the correct semantic denotation of exocentric V+N compounds, one more cognitive mechanism called metonymy is needed. This paper also argues that one way to distinguish endocentric V+N compounds and exocentric V+N compounds is whether the trajectors of the relationship denoted by the verbs in these compounds are overt or covert. And one slight difference between ‘Verb + Object = Agent’ construction and ‘Verb + Object =Instrument’ construction is that the former has an animate trajector while the latter has an inanimate trajector.