Pivotal Constructions in Chinese
Diachronic, synchronic, and constructional perspectives
| National University of Singapore
This book presents a detailed analysis of the Chinese pivotal constructions (PVCs) and their diachronic developments from a constructionalist perspective, with the focus on the growth of the constructional hierarchies of these constructions and the changes with respect to both the form and meaning properties over time. The most important enabling factor behind the diachronic developments of the PVCs has been the sanction of the new instances conflicting with the constructions’ specifications. Throughout history the PVCs have grown along the two dimensions, i.e., inclusiveness and multileveledness, leading to a steady increase in the sizes of their constructional hierarchies. The two-dimensional expansion of the PVCs’ constructional hierarchies has been accompanied by the gradual relaxation of the conditions constraining the earliest instances, on multiple schematicity levels. This book will be valuable to scholars working on diachronic construction grammar and language change as well as to those interested in the history of Chinese language.
[Studies in Chinese Language and Discourse, 8] 2017. xix, 243 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
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List of tables, figures, and charts
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xiii–xvi
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Abbreviations
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xvii–xviii
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Acknowledgements
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xix
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Introduction
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1–12
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The constructional approaches to language change
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13–30
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Chinese pivotal constructions
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31–64
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The taxonomy and constuctional hierarchy of Chinese pivotal constructions
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65–106
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The diachronic developments of Chinese pivotal constructions
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107–154
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The accumulative expansion of the constructional hierarchy
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155–180
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The relaxation of the original restrictive conditions
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181–216
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Conclusion
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217–220
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References
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221–228
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Appendixes
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229–238
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Indexes
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239–243
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References
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Subjects
BIC Subject: CFK – Grammar, syntax
BISAC Subject: LAN009060 – LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Syntax
U.S. Library of Congress Control Number: 2016049066