John Benjamins Publishing Company
The development of three classifiers into degree modifier constructions in Chinese
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Yueh Hsin Kuo
Abstract
This paper is a constructionalisation case study on how a post-head degree modifying (sub)schema arose, which generalises over three constructions that are classifiers in origin: yi xie ‘some’, yi dian ‘one bit’, and yi xia ‘one downward motion’. Two factors underlie their developments: diminutive semantics, and pragmatically motivated syntactic contexts. Their diminutive semantics is general enough for them to be used as degree modifiers, while their postverbal and sentence-final positions, created by a specific topic-comment structure and zero anaphora, enable them to function as degree modifiers and even hedges. Despite similarities, they also display idiosyncrasies, such as collocational preferences.
Abstract
This paper is a constructionalisation case study on how a post-head degree modifying (sub)schema arose, which generalises over three constructions that are classifiers in origin: yi xie ‘some’, yi dian ‘one bit’, and yi xia ‘one downward motion’. Two factors underlie their developments: diminutive semantics, and pragmatically motivated syntactic contexts. Their diminutive semantics is general enough for them to be used as degree modifiers, while their postverbal and sentence-final positions, created by a specific topic-comment structure and zero anaphora, enable them to function as degree modifiers and even hedges. Despite similarities, they also display idiosyncrasies, such as collocational preferences.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
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Part 1. General issues
- Are there two different ways of approaching grammaticalization? 23
- Functional similarity despite geographical distance 55
- Analogy 75
- Central Southern Guangxi as a grammaticalization area 105
- Grammaticalizing connectives in English and discourse information structure 135
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Part 2. Case studies
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The noun phrase
- The grammaticalization of interrogative pronouns into relative pronouns in South-Caucasian languages 163
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The verbal phrase
- From time to surprise 185
- C-gravitation and the grammaticalization degree of “present progressives” in English, French, and Dutch 207
- The avertive and proximative grams in Maltese using the auxiliary għodd 231
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Discourse markers
- Pragmatic uses of nu in Old Saxon and Old English 259
- (Inter)subjectification and paradigmaticization 291
- The development of three classifiers into degree modifier constructions in Chinese 315
- From the inside to the outside of the sentence 333
- The development of the Chinese scalar additive coordinators derived from prohibitives 361
- Cross-varietal diversity in constructional entrenchment 381
- Index 431
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1. General issues
- Are there two different ways of approaching grammaticalization? 23
- Functional similarity despite geographical distance 55
- Analogy 75
- Central Southern Guangxi as a grammaticalization area 105
- Grammaticalizing connectives in English and discourse information structure 135
-
Part 2. Case studies
-
The noun phrase
- The grammaticalization of interrogative pronouns into relative pronouns in South-Caucasian languages 163
-
The verbal phrase
- From time to surprise 185
- C-gravitation and the grammaticalization degree of “present progressives” in English, French, and Dutch 207
- The avertive and proximative grams in Maltese using the auxiliary għodd 231
-
Discourse markers
- Pragmatic uses of nu in Old Saxon and Old English 259
- (Inter)subjectification and paradigmaticization 291
- The development of three classifiers into degree modifier constructions in Chinese 315
- From the inside to the outside of the sentence 333
- The development of the Chinese scalar additive coordinators derived from prohibitives 361
- Cross-varietal diversity in constructional entrenchment 381
- Index 431
