Abstract
Elements in meaning are so rich and varied that language cannot accommodate all of them in its grammatical representation since there are only a limited number of syntactic positions available on the surface. Thus, some elements posited in the conceptual structure will emerge and be foregrounded, while other elements will be hidden and backgrounded. The polysemous word kek4激in Taiwanese southern Min is a case in point. The VO syntactic frame in which it occurs shows seemingly rich semantic diversification. Nevertheless, a much simpler repertoire of semantic roles deployed in the sentience can be arrived at through co-composition of semantic roles deployed in the sentence can e arrived at through co-composition of the verb and its object, and the semantic roles involved are (1) theme, (2) goal (viz. creation), (3) location and (4) experiencer. Besides the VO construction, kek4 激has developed more syntactic frames: the verb-complement construction, the pivotal construction, and the complex construction with a sentential complement. We can claim on the underspecification of verb meaning that grammatical constructions partially contribute meaning to the sentence in question. Especially interesting among the extended constructions is the one expressing the ‘pretend’ sense which can also be found in the extended use of such verbs as tin3佯, chng1裝, and ke2假, to be examined in detail as well.