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Article published In:
Language Contact with Chinese
Edited by Zhiming Bao
[Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 38:1] 2023
► pp. 14–40

Converbs of Sinitic varieties in Qīnghǎi‑Gānsù linguistic area

| Sun Yat-Sen University , China
| Peking University , China

This article discusses the semantic and syntactic properties of converb markers =Shi, =Zhe, and =Tala in Sinitic varieties in the Qīnghǎi-Gānsù Linguistic Area (qgla), and defines them as converb enclitics rather than conjunctions, modal particles, or other functional words. =Shi is a conditional converb enclitic while =Tala is a terminative converb enclitic; both enclitics derive their respective properties from Altaic languages. The enclitic =Zhe expresses the coordinative and narrative functions, derived from its Altaic source, and the conjunctional function, which is an innovation. The productive use of the converbs coincides with the sharp decline of serial verbs in Sinitic varieties in qgla, and such a phenomenon emerges through intense contact among the Altaic, Sinitic and Tibetan languages in the area.

Keywords: converbs, Qīng-Gān linguistic area, Sinitic languages, morphosyntactic
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Clause combination and converbs
  • 3.Morphosyntactic and semantic properties of Sinitic converbs in qgla
    • 3.1Sinitic converbs in qgla: Background and review
    • 3.2Syntax and semantics of Sinitic converbs
      • i.Converb enclitic =Zhe
      • ii.Converb enclitic =Shi
      • iii.Converb enclitic =Tala
      • iv.Converb enclitic or not: =Le
  • 4.Converb clauses and language contact
    • 4.1Independent innovation or contact-induced grammaticalization
    • 4.2Grammatical borrowing or grammatical replication
  • 5.Interaction between converbs and serial verbs
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
Published online: 5 May 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jpcl.00102.sha
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