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Article published In: Constructions and Frames
Vol. 12:2 (2020) ► pp.206–238

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Reinforcement by realignment in diachronic construction grammar

The case of classifier xiē in Mandarin Chinese

 | University of Edinburgh
Published online: 30 October 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1075/cf.00040.kuo
Abstract
This paper suggests that xiē ‘some’ in Mandarin Chinese originated as a quantifier but became a classifier in the yi ‘one’ construction via realignment, or change in inheritance in diachronic construction grammar. This change has created yi xiē, semantically equivalent to xiē, therefore it is also a case of reinforcement in the sense of Jespersen’s Cycle. However, this study argues that yi xiē has not necessarily undergone grammaticalisation. Generalising the analysis, two types of reinforcement are proposed: reinforcement by innovation and by realignment. The former involves grammaticalisation, but the latter may not. The study highlights the importance of higher-level generalisations in language change.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Classifiers and the questions raised by xiē
    • 2.1Classifiers in Mandarin
    • 2.2Xiē’s synchronic description
    • 2.3Previous analyses of (yi) xiē
  • 3.Diachronic construction grammar
  • 4.Xiē’s diachrony
    • 4.1A brief history of xiē
    • 4.2A constructional interpretation of xiē’s categories
  • 5.A realignment analysis
    • 5.1From [xiē np]qnt to [xiē np]bare
    • 5.2From [xiē np]bare to [yi xiē np]
    • 5.3Bàn xiē and liǎng xiē
  • 6.Grammaticalisation, reinforcement, and realignment
    • 6.1Yi reinforces diminutivity in xiē
    • 6.2What is grammaticalised in yi xiē?
    • 6.3Reinforcement and realignment
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
References (61)
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