A Pragmatic Enrichment Perspective On Grammaticalization

Grammaticalization is a process in which a lexical unit assumes a grammatical function or a grammatical unit assumes a more grammatical function through time. Previous researches on grammaticalization primarily focus upon the lexical aspect of grammaticalization and only occasionally touch on the sentential or discoursal aspect of grammaticalization. The pragmatic aspect of grammaticalization is seldom discussed. But as grammaticalization reflects and also results in the change in the use of a certain lexical item through time, it is hard to deny the role pragmatics plays in the process of grammaticalization.This thesis focuses on the pragmatic aspect of grammaticalization and intends to demonstrate that pragmatic factors are crucial in grammaticalization process. In order to better integrate pragmatics into grammaticalization. it discusses grammaticalization from the perspective of historical pragmatics by employing its methodology.As for the specific pragmatic mechanism behind grammaticalization. it is argued that pragmatic enrichment can be combined with grammaticalization. The thesis extracts the essence of pragmatic enrichment and adjusts it in accordance with the actual process in grammaticalization. In order to do the research in a more convincing and practical manner, the Chinese preposition Zai is selected as an example. Zai is commonly used throughout Chinese history and is considered to be an ideal example in this thesis.The pragmatic aspect of grammaticalization is the focus of the thesis. It is an aspect of great importance but often neglected by previous researchers. And the thesis also explores the mechanism behind grammaticalization and proves that pragmatic enrichment is a mechanism of great magnititude. This mechanism is first proposed and is considered to be quite helpful in grammaticalization research. Finally, the grammaticalization of Zai is discussed in this theoretic framework proposed in the thesis. And this is a meaningful attempt in applying western linguistic theories into linguistics researches on Chinese languages.This thesis is divided into five parts. The first part is a brief introduction to the issues to be discussed. The second part reviews current researches on grammaticalization, pragmatic enrichment, historical pragmatics and the Chinese preposition Zai. The third part probes into the relations between grammaticalization and pragmatic enrichment in theory. It investigates the pragmatic enrichment mechanism in grammaticalization by exploring the connections between pragmatic enrichment and decategorization in grammaticalization and the correlations between pragmatic enrichment and metaphorical mapping in grammaticalization. This chapter also proposes a model of pragmatic enrichment in grammaticalization by integrating grammaticalization, decategorization and metaphorical mapping. The fourth part is a case study of the Chinese preposition Zai to further demonstrate the argument put forward in the previous part. The fifth part is a natural conclusion of the thesis and points out the innovations and limitations of this thesis's study.