Title

A Corpus-Based Study of “-Zu”: Its Grammaticalization as a Quasi-affix

Author

Ching-yu Hsieh, Jui-feng Hsu

Genre

Article  

Pages

131-1152

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Language

Chinese

Key words

grammaticalization, quasi-affix, nominalizer, Corpus Linguistics

Abstra

      This paper examines the nominalizer zu in Chinese corpora for the purpose of exploring its grammaticalization and the factors that triggered it. The reanalysis of zu started from its collocation with lei in ancient Chinese. Then the [animal words +zu] structure broadened zu’s semantic field. Later on, the stem of zu was more and more flexible from the [monosyllabic determinative/modifier +zu] to the multi- bisyllable +zu ] structure. Both [- zhi zhu] and [(-yizu)] were productive in the Dream of the red Chamber written in the eighteenth century. The [-yizu] is still productive in contemporary Mandarin Chinese, whereas [-zhizu] developed into [X zu] formation. Zu’s concept is being reduced and its meaning is weakening while its grammaticalization of zu is induced by the interwoven social and linguistic factors that include the elevation of the mass media, the a cceleration of Japanese loanwords, the involvement of the particle zhi , and the omission of zhi.