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Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies
ISSN 0577-9170; DOI 10.6503/THJCS

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On Split Affectivity in Chinese

Vol. 47 No.2  6/2017

Title

On Split Affectivity in Chinese

Author

Wei-tien Dylan Tsai

Genre

Article

Pages

407-423

Download

PDF

Language

English

Key words

Theory of Grammaticalization, Cartographic Approach, affective constructions, Chinese Syntax, Dialect Grammar

Abstract

  This paper deals with a split of affectivity in Chinese dialects from the perspective of generative syntax: give-affectives sport permissive, passive and dative construals, whereas with-affectives garner comitative-oriented usages such as benefactive, goal, and disposal throughout the historical development. We propose to relate the former to the notion of “terminal coincidence”, and the latter to that of “central coincidence” in Hale & Keyser’s (2002) sense. Our study shows that, despite the apparent unified construals of gei ‘give’ in Mandarin, the main difference between the two types of affectives lies in their distinct routes of grammaticalization owing to the terminal-central dichotomy, as well as the interpretive mechanism of applicative syntax under the Cartographic Approach.

 

 

Author: Wei-tien Dylan Tsai
Genre: Article
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