Research on the Perfective Aspect in Zhu Zi's Discourses

Author: Yang Yonglong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-08-01
Features: This book attempts to use modern linguistic theory to describe and analyze several adverbs, auxiliary words, and modal particles expressing the perfective aspect in the Collected Conversations of Chu Zi, from syntactic structures, event types, circumstance types, tense structures, and other aspects. On this basis, it strives to make as much comparison between ancient and modern as possible, tracing its origins and developments. It also conducts preliminary discussions on the perfective aspect and related theoretical issues. The book consists of five chapters:
Chapter 1 discusses the corpus value and dialectal basis of the Collected Conversations of Chu Zi. It argues that the Collected Conversations of Chu Zi is a relatively rare and ideal corpus, with its linguistic features being based on the literary common language supplemented by northern Min dialectal elements.
Chapter 2 introduces and explores the concepts of "aspect," "perfective aspect," and related theoretical issues, aiming to understand the perfective aspect within the broader context of aspectual categories. Building on domestic and international theories of aspectual studies, it illustrates the close connections between aspect, event types, tense, and circumstances through examples from the Collected Conversations of Chu Zi and modern Chinese related to the perfective aspect.
Chapter 3 discusses perfective adverbs, primarily describing the usage of several adverbs such as "ji," "yi," "yi zi," "yi shi," and "yi jing" in the Collected Conversations of Chu Zi. It emphasizes that "ji" is typically used in background event sentences, where it not only conveys perfective aspect but also indicates relative precedence; whereas "yi," "yi zi," "yi shi," and "yi jing" are mainly used in foreground event sentences, primarily indicating the realization of states. The chapter further explores the origins and development of these adverbs.
Chapter 4 discusses the various usages of "le" in the Collected Conversations of Chu Zi and related issues. By combining the syntactic patterns in which "le" appears, its aspectual meaning, and its temporal and modal meanings, the book categorizes the "le" components in the Collected Conversations of Chu Zi into four major types and nine subtypes. The four major types are: "le0" with a complement-like function, "le1" indicating completion, "le2" indicating realization, and "le3" indicating modality. These four types of "le" form a gradual sequence in terms of grammaticalization.
Chapter 5 discusses the various usages of "guo" in the Collected Conversations of Chu Zi, as well as its origins and grammaticalization process. It analyzes and describes "guo1" and "guo2" in the Collected Conversations of Chu Zi, along with the yet-to-be fully grammaticalized "guo0," from both syntactic patterns (V guo, V guo O, VO guo) and grammatical meanings. It further conducts preliminary discussions on the origins and grammaticalization processes of "guo1" and "guo2."