| Acknowledgements | 第6-9页 |
| 摘要 | 第9-11页 |
| Abstract | 第11-12页 |
| List of Abbreviations | 第18-23页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第23-32页 |
| 1.1 Research Background | 第23-27页 |
| 1.2 Aims and Scope of the Study | 第27-28页 |
| 1.3 Research Questions and Methods | 第28-29页 |
| 1.4 Layout of the Dissertation | 第29-32页 |
| Chapter 2 Literature Review | 第32-115页 |
| 2.1 Introduction to Construction Grammar | 第32-64页 |
| 2.1.1 Constructions and Construction Grammar | 第32-40页 |
| 2.1.2 Usage-based theory and Emerging/Emergent Grammar | 第40-44页 |
| 2.1.3 Construction Grammar in relation to other branches of theoretical linguistics | 第44-53页 |
| 2.1.4 Different models of constructional network | 第53-64页 |
| 2.2 A Construction Grammar Approach to Language Change | 第64-93页 |
| 2.2.1 Pre-constructionist approaches to language change: grammaticalization, lexicalization and degrammaticalization | 第65-73页 |
| 2.2.2 A constructionist approach to language change: constructional change, constructionalization, and diachronic construction grammar | 第73-82页 |
| 2.2.3 Frequency, productivity and schematicity | 第82-93页 |
| 2.3 Previous Studies on Marginal Auxiliaries | 第93-115页 |
| 2.3.1 Definition and classification of marginal auxiliaries | 第93-103页 |
| 2.3.2 Modality and modal meanings of marginal auxiliaries | 第103-108页 |
| 2.3.3 Limitations of previous research | 第108-115页 |
| Chapter 3 Methodological Foundations | 第115-139页 |
| 3.1 A Corpus-based Quantitative Research | 第115-125页 |
| 3.1.1 Corpus linguistics and diachronic corpora used in this study | 第115-121页 |
| 3.1.2 Corpus-based approach vs. corpus-driven approach | 第121-122页 |
| 3.1.3 Corpus linguistics and theoretical linguistics | 第122-125页 |
| 3.2 Multivariate Data Processing Tools for Statistical Analysis | 第125-139页 |
| 3.2.1 R Software and linguistic motion chart | 第125-127页 |
| 3.2.2 Variability-based Neighbor Clustering | 第127-130页 |
| 3.2.3 Multi-dimensional Scaling and Correspondence Analysis | 第130-132页 |
| 3.2.4 Conditional Inference Trees and Random Forests Analyses | 第132-134页 |
| 3.2.5 Semantic Vector Space Model | 第134-139页 |
| Chapter 4 Marginal Modal Constructions (MM.Cxn) | 第139-187页 |
| 4.1 DARE, NEED and OUGHT (TO) as Prototypical Members | 第139-148页 |
| 4.1.1 Previous studies on infinitive complementation | 第139-142页 |
| 4.1.2 Historical development and present-day use of dare (to), need (to), and ought (to) | 第142-148页 |
| 4.2 Factors Influencing the Distribution of infinitival Complements：A Case Study of NEED (TO) | 第148-165页 |
| 4.2.1 From modal-need to lexical-need as a general trend | 第148-156页 |
| 4.2.2 Merger-need as a bridging context for reanalysis | 第156-165页 |
| 4.3 HELP (TO) and WANT (TO) as Emerging Marginal Modal Constructions? | 第165-187页 |
| 4.3.1 Justification for other formally similar patterns as new members | 第165-169页 |
| 4.3.2 Constructional changes of emerging MM.Cxn via motion chart | 第169-187页 |
| Chapter 5 Semi-auxiliary Constructions (SA.Cxn) | 第187-243页 |
| 5.1 Semi-auxiliaries in a Broader Context | 第187-194页 |
| 5.2 A Prototype-based Fuzzy Set Model for the Development of Semi-auxiliary Constructions | 第194-207页 |
| 5.3 Productivity Changes of Semi-auxiliary Constructions | 第207-228页 |
| 5.3.1 A tentative search on the frequency changes of BE adj. TO and BE pp. TO | 第207-213页 |
| 5.3.2 Productivity and prototypical meaning of modal BE adj./pp. TO | 第213-222页 |
| 5.3.3 Epistemic BE adj./pp. TO vs. epistemic BE adj./pp. THAT | 第222-228页 |
| 5.4 A Case Study on the Development of BE SUPPOSED TO | 第228-243页 |
| 5.4.1 Previous studies on the development of be supposed to | 第228-231页 |
| 5.4.2 An alternative hypothesis based on EEBO corpus data | 第231-243页 |
| Chapter 6 Catenative Constructions (CA.Cxn) | 第243-278页 |
| 6.1 Previous Research on Catenatives | 第243-249页 |
| 6.2 A Type-based Semantic Vector Space Model for SEEM TO and APPEAR TO | 第249-272页 |
| 6.2.1 Previous studies on seem and appear | 第249-253页 |
| 6.2.2 SVS model and cluster analysis for seem to and appear to | 第253-260页 |
| 6.2.3 Semantic changes via correspondence analysis | 第260-272页 |
| 6.3 A Tentative Configuration on the Multidimensional Network of Modality . | 第272-278页 |
| Chapter 7 Conclusion | 第278-286页 |
| 7.1 Major Findings of the Present Research | 第278-282页 |
| 7.2 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research | 第282-286页 |
| References | 第286-314页 |
| Résumé | 第314-316页 |
