A Study Of Quantifiers In Nuosu Dialect Of Yi Language

Classifiers are a special part of speech.Since Chinese classifiers were recognized as an independent part of speech,more attention has been paid to classifiers.Even some scholars hold that having classifiers as a part of speech is typically characteristic of Chinese which distinctive with the Indo-European or other languages.Especially in the perspective of linguistic typology,classifiers are further classified into the individual and the collective.Beside topologists,many scholars discuss or research classifiers from the perspective of cognitive linguistics or from the perspective of grammaticalization.The study on Nuosu Yi lexical classification is carried out on the basis of that of Chinese,and it is under strong influence of Chinese linguistics.However,this is not necessary to mean that Nuosu Yi lexical classification has been well-researched.So far,more attention is paid to Chinese classifiers than Nuosu Yi classifiers.From the literature review,it is discovered that there are not no more academic papers on Nuosu Yi classifiers,let alone the monograph.In fact,Nuosu Yi is really rich in classifiers which are syntactically mandatory with a few exceptions in the old sayings.The occurrence of classifiers is extremely high and essential to syntactic function.Their grammatical functions are also demonstrated in a variety of ways,which is especially significant to typological study and highly worthy of in-depth analysis.The focus of this work is classifiers in Nuosu Yi which is classified as the northern dialect of Yi language.The theoretical analysis is from the perspective of typology,cognitive linguistics and grammaticalization theory,with reference to the proposed classification word description framework in classifier typology.The comprehensive and detailed description will be made on Nuosu Yi classifiers and the analysis will be made in the aspect of syntax,semantics and pragmatics.The work is organized into nine chapters including that of introduction.The main contents are as follows:The first chapter is the introduction,which is mainly about the considerations on choice of the research topic,including the background of the topic and the purpose of research,literature review,the highlights and innovative points of current research,the arrangement of the chapters and sections.The second chapter focuses on the theoretical background,methodology,research and data collection.The theoretical background elaborates the typology theory,cognitive linguistics theory and the grammaticalization theory,which indicates that current research is conducted under these theoretical frameworks.The methodology explains the literature retrieval method,analysis induction,comparative analysis,structural description and analysis method,and transformation analysis,etc.The data is mainly from the Shengzha dialect of Nuosu Yi,while there is some Songdi dialect materials.Other materials are from published dictionaries,fieldwork collection,traditional Yi manuscripts,legendary stories,and modern Yi novels,etc.The third chapter discusses the generation and development of Nuosu Yi classifiers in the perspective of typology.This chapter first explores and discusses the historical layers,generating situation and typological motivation of Nuosu Yi classifiers,then discusses and explains the classifiers categories,individual classifiers richness and expansion,general classifiers generation,etc.The fourth chapter mainly discusses the categorization of Nuosu Yi classifiers under the frameworks of classifiers studies in China and beyond.This chapter first introduces the categorization of classifiers by Chinese and Western scholars so as to detect the best categorization for Nuosu Yi.This will be based on detailed categorization and brief description.Moreover,this chapter introduces and analyzes the special collective classifiers of Nuosu Yi sister languages.The fifth chapter mainly discusses the morphological and syntactic distribution of Nuosu Yi classifiers.While discussing the syntactic distribution of Nuosu Yi classifiers,the descriptive method of structuralism,transformation analysis,replacement analysis,comparison analysis,semantic analysis and other methods are used to describe and analyze Nuosu Yi classifiers categories,so that the syntactic distribution and syntactic functions of Nuosu Yi nominal classifiers and verbal classifiers.The sixth chapter analyzes the expansion of Nuosu Yi classifiers functions under the grammaticalization theory.In this chapter,the grammaticalization expansion functions of Nuosu Yi classifiers are discussed in the following six aspects: the expanding functions of Nuosu Yi numeral-classifier structures,the word-formation functions of Nuosu Yi classifiers,the numeral-marking function of Nuosu Yi classifiers,the �particle tendency� of Nuosu Yi classifiers,the emphasis and highlight function of Nuosu classifiers,and the rhetorical function of Nuosu Yi classifiers.The seventh chapter specializes in discussion of Nuosu Yi classifiers definiteness and referential function.Nuosu Yi referential function is in fact a result from the expansion of Nuosu Yi grammatical function.However,this kind of grammar structure has certain particularity and complexity,so it is worthy of discussion in a chapter.Detailed description and comparison will be made on the referential structures of classifiers in Shengzha dialect and Songdi dialect of Nuosu Yi.And the historical layers of Nuosu Yi classifiers definiteness are also analyzed.The eighth chapter is the conclusion,which mainly summarizes this work,introduces the important findings,the contents that should be further discussed,and suggestions for the future work.