Article
Diachronic change of object markers in Mandarin Chinese
Language Variation and Change
(1993)
Abstract
This article is a quantitative diachronic study of the object markers ba˘ and jiāng in Chinese. Traditionally, it has been claimed (Chao, 1968; Li & Thompson, 1981; Lü, 1955; Wang, 1943–44; among others) that ba˘ and Ji¯ng have undergone the same process of grammaticalization and have acquired the same function over time, so that they have become interchangeable. The present article challenges this view and provides evidence showing that, in the texts where both are used, each has its own distinctive functions. In the early stage of their grammaticalization, the major difference between them is the direction of motion relative to the agent: ba˘ tends to express motion toward the agent, whereas Jiāng tends to express motion away from the agent. Later, when both ba˘ and Jiāng become object markers, ba˘ is more likely to be used in informal texts, whereas Jiāng is more likely to be used in formal texts. I argue that it is this difference that led to the disappearance of Jiāng in written texts of modern times.
Disciplines
Publication Date
July, 1993
Publisher Statement
Published by Cambridge University Press
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954394500001642
Citation Information
Janet Zhiqun Xing. "Diachronic change of object markers in Mandarin Chinese" Language Variation and Change Vol. 6 Iss. 2 (1993) p. 201 - 222 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/janet-xing/42/