Directional Particles in Cantonese: Form, Function and Grammaticalization

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    Abstract

    This book is the first on Cantonese that deals with the grammaticalization phenomenon systematically. Focusing on a group of twelve directional particles, this book tracks their grammaticalization pathways from full-fledged directional verbs, to directional particles indicating meanings relating to tense-aspect, modality, and quantification, in the post-verbal position. Some of these particles have undergone further grammaticalization to convey speaker’s subjective as well as intersubjective stances.

    This book is also unique in its diachronic component. Examples in the book are drawn from various sources including early Cantonese pedagogical texts, Cantonese films, and contemporary Cantonese corpora, with data ranging from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. This book will be a valuable resource not only for all linguists interested in the development of grammatical forms, but also for teachers and students in conversation/discourse analysis, psychology, and anthropology interested in deepening their understanding of the interaction between language structure and use.
    Original languageEnglish
    Place of PublicationPhiladelphia
    PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company
    Number of pages239
    ISBN (Electronic)9789027264435
    ISBN (Print)9789027200280
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - May 2018

    Publication series

    NameStudies in Chinese Language and Discourse
    Volume9
    ISSN (Print)1879-5382

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