On Chinese Conjunctions In Yuan And Ming Dynasty

In Yuan and Ming Dynasty, the large numbers of conjunctions used in Ancient Chinese and Middle Ages Chinese almost disappeared, or just used in Classic Chinese. At the same time, a number of new conjunctions emerged at this time. These new conjunctions had been used with some new components and some new grammatical forms usually. Then some new emerged conjunctions replaced the original conjunctions and developed into Contemporary Chinese. Studying the Chinese Conjunctions in Yuan and Ming Dynasty is a very necessary step to describe the development of Modern Chinese, and it is also an important component of Modern Chinese studying. Yuankan Zaju Sanshizhong Xinjiao, Jindai Hanyu Yufaziliao Huibian(Yuan and Ming Dynasty) and Jinpingmei Cihua(Short for Yuankan, Yuliao and Jin), as the basic linguistic materials of this dissertation, these three documents in the continuous process have a high degree of spoken language, also, they have different literature styles and different contents. So they can reflect the language outlook during the different stages in Yuan and Ming Dynasty. Studying the Chinese conjunctions of Yuankan, Yuliao and Jin, we could not only grasp great significance for Chinese History and Chinese Stage History, but also clarify the relations between conjunctions and prepositions, the relations between conjunctions and adverbs. It is valuable to deepen the study of Chinese Grammar.In this dissertation, we take the conjunctions in Yuan and Ming Dynasty as our research object. Using the Chinese Conjunctions' function and meaning as a standard, we give a definition for conjunctions as following: Conjunctions are form words that connect the words, phrases, sentences, syntactic structure of the group, and it can show specific syntax and logic. As for the definition of conjunctions, we mainly solute to distinguish the words between compounding conjunctions and accompany prepositions, cause conjunctions and cause prepositions, conjunctions and related adverbs. Then we sum up the two criteria of conjunctions: At first, they can connect two or more paralleled sentences, and every sentence can exist and say as a single language unit. Secondly, they use at the association occasions, before or after the subject; Also, every connected sentence can not be said alone, they must coordinate each other. These two statements have a certain semantic syntax relations. According to the above criteria, we define 183 conjunctions in Yuan and Ming Dynasty all together.Focusing on the specific conditions of Conjunction System in Yuan and Ming Dynasty, we classify conjunctions according to the words' meaning mainly, then we often give consideration to the form of the conjunctions in Yuan and Ming Dynasty. The reasons why we classify conjunctions according to the words' meaning mainly are: On the one hand, we are using "principles of extracting samples" to study this paper, the classifying standard is facilitated to comb and summarize the conjunctions; On the other hand, from the perspective of words' meaning, we can continue to explore the ways of conjunctions' forming and process easily. At the same time we take the form of standard into account, because conjunctions' location is an important characteristic and an important sign of connecting function. And it is also an important problem to explain the conjunction's forming process. In light of the above principles, we divided conjunctions into two parts:Coordinating Conjunctions and Subordinating Conjunctions. Coordinating Conjunctions is divided into four categories: Compounding Conjunctions, Complying Conjunctions, Progression Conjunctions, Alternation Conjunctions; Subordinating Conjunctions is divided into six categories:Assumption Conjunctions, Concession Conjunctions, Cause Conjunctions, Condition Conjunctions, Transition Conjunctions, Purpose Conjunctions. Below each of the categories, we divided the conjunctions into more detailed classification according to the conjunctions' characteristics and the location of the sentence.On the basis of classification, we analyze the conjunctions in Yuankan, Yuliao and Jin by all the statistical data and quantitative analysis of the static description in Synchronic plane when describing and analyzing their grammatical characteristics, and we try to use the earliest formation of the conjunctions to verify individual conjunction. On this basis, we adopt a comparative study and multi-angle observations and use grammatical theories and method of semantics, combine ideological theories of cognitive psychology, syntactic structure, semantic analysis of the aspects of change together, to find the source of the representative word, such as progression conjunctions of "Budan, Budu, Buwei",Condition Conjunctions of "Bujian, Bulun, Bubuan, Buju", assumption conjunctions of "Yaozhe, Wanyi, Bushi".In this dissertation, we describe and analyze the conjunctions in Yuankan, Yuliao and Jin, then give an accurate conjunction system; On this basis, we compare every type and using of conjunctions in Yuankan, Yuliao and Jin, and we compare their special forms and special usage with the modern Chinese. By comparison, at first, we can understand the conjunctions' differences and evolution of inherent form and using in Yuan and Ming Dynasty which Yuankan, Yuliao and Jin represented, secondly, we can understand the similarities and differences and evolution relations between Yuan and Ming Dynasty and Modern Chinese.Through the description of usage and comparison of the individuals of conjunctions, we summed up the characteristics during each type of conjunctions in Yuan and Ming Dynasty, such as the commonly used conjunctions in each category, the diachronic development of commonly used conjunctions and so on. Through the comparison by Yuan and Ming Dynasty with the ancient Chinese, middle ages Chinese and the Tang and Song Dynasty, we can see the inheritance and development of Yuan and Ming Dynasty, at the same time, through the comparison with Yuan and Ming Dynasty and the Modern Chinese, we can more clearly see the conjunction system in modern Chinese has been initially prescribed to develop and mature in Yuan and Ming Dynasty completely.Through the comparison and observation of every word frequency and the table of the time conjunctions' forming in Yuan and Ming Dynasty, we conclude the conjunctions' basic profile in Yuan and Ming Dynasty: 1) A lot of conjunctions adopted from the ancient Chinese; 2) Many disyllable conjunctions formed in Middle Ages and Tang and Song Dynasty supplemented the conjunctions in Yuan and Ming Dynasty; 3) A lot of synonym conjunctions appeared in this period; 4) The conjunctions in Yuan and Ming Dynast)' is a relatively stable and constantly changing type. On the basis of previous research, we also analyzed and summarized the forming ways of the conjunctions which formed in Yuan and Ming Dynasty, they are: synonymous words formed one, synonymous conjunctions compound one in turn, other types of words grammaticalized, conjunctions internal transformation, re-analysis, additional suffix, phrases solidification, grant, the influence of context, the influence of other languages. Of course, new conjunctions generated by the course of the combined effects of many factors, such as re-analysis words forming the conjunction, they may be formed by the process of context, and by the impacting of the context of the conjunction will be generated contains a re-analysis mechanism inside. Our basis of the classification is to see its main formation mechanism.Through the comprehensive studying of three documents in Yuan and Ming Dynasty, we have got many theoretical and methodological inspiration at the language study and language evolution. Such as if we want to study the grammar of a synchronic plane, we must detail comprehensive description of the target at first, then on the basis of description we will compare with the constant time study. At last we can find the commonalities and differences between the grammar of this period and the grammar of the neighboring period, which we can sum up its appearance and characteristics. On the linguistic theory, we know the grammaticalization is an important evolution theory and method on studying conjunctions' development and evolvement in Yuan and Ming Dynasty. Grammaticalization of the conjunctions in Yuan and Ming Dynasty reflected the motives and mechanisms occurred the grammaticalization of these conjunctions as follow: The location of the syntactic change, words' meaning changing, the effect of context, the impact of language contact, the impact of human psychological cognitive. Conjunctions' development and evolvement in Yuan and Ming Dynasty also reflects the rules of grammaticalization, such as the rule of simultaneity, the rule of manifoldly changing, the rule of optional, the rule of retaining, the rule of reducing categories, the rule of lagging, the rule of frequency, the rule of gradually changing, the rule of uniderectionlly changing, etc.In conclusion, the conjunction is a part of speech that relatively stable and evolved, they will show different characteristics in different time and different places. The conjunction system in Yuan and Ming Dynasty is also showing different characteristics and styles from the ancient, middle ages Chinese, pre-contemporary Chinese, and also different from the modern Chinese. According to the research thought of language facts majority and language theory minority, this dissertation tries to explain all used examples of every conjunction word and make description and make analysis of them one by one, and makes some explanations and thinking of the features and existence reasons of conjunction word system in Yuan and Ming Dynasty so as to give some useful materials for Chinese Grammar history research.