In:The Development of the Chinese Cleft Construction: A diachronic constructional approach
Fangqiong Zhan
[Constructional Approaches to Language 41] 2026
► pp. 93–116
Chapter 5The development of the VP
de cleft construction
Published online: 5 February 2026
https://doi.org/10.1075/cal.41.c5
https://doi.org/10.1075/cal.41.c5
Article outline
- 5.1Introduction
- 5.2The rise of the VP
de cleft construction
- 5.2.1Shi: The copula in early Middle Chinese
- 5.2.2Nominalization in late Middle Chinese
- 5.2.3The emergence of the VP de cleft construction
- 5.2.3.1The emergence of [NP COP XP DE]
- 5.2.3.2The emergence of the VP de cleft construction
- 5.3Modeling the development of the VP de cleft construction
- 5.4Factors leading to and correlated with the rise of the VP
de cleft
- 5.4.1Motivations: Analogical thinking and discourse strategy
- 5.4.2Mechanisms: Analogization and neo-analysis
- 5.4.3Productivity, schematicity, and compositionality
- 5.5Summary
Notes
