On The New Propositions Of Tang And Five Dynasties

Tang and Five Dynasties are very important period of the prepositions’development in Pre-modern Chinese. The number of prepositions increased,especially manner prepositions and object prepositions appeared persistently, anddivision of preposition features changed as well. In this paper, we will study thenewborn prepositions, examine their sources, specific functions, and developments,probe into some universal prepositional systems’ laws of this period.Firstly, based on the former research, summarizing the prepositional judgmentprinciple and classification criterion, then determining the number of newbornprepositions and macroscopically describing the preposition system, including thehereditary and new prepositions and system features. We will examine thegrammaticalization processes of new prepositions in sub semantic systems, andfurther discusses instrumental&disposal, passive, comitative, directional, and chu-group prepositions.Based the study above, analyzing competition and renovation of prepositionsin this period: how instrumental&disposal prepositions chose Hold/Take Verbsinto grammaticalization processes; the features division of passive prepositions andmarkers during grammaticalization; the grammaticalization degree of comitativeprepositions and the reason of their comitative meanings develop into ascensivemeanings; and the disyllabification and de-grammaticalization phenomenon ofchu-prepositions.Lastly, investigating the grammaticalization laws of Tang and Five Dynasties’new prepositions: their grammaticalization sources are mainly role assigning verbs,phonetic loan characters, and disyllabification words; most of thegrammaticalization processes generate in serial predicate constructions and X(bei)+(N)+VP constructions; instrument to disposal, comitative to ascensive, andcausative/dative to passive are general grammaticalization paths; reanalysis andanalogy are the main mechanisms of grammaticalization generation, specializationand optimality are the main mechanisms of semantic competition and coexistence;cognition and pragmatics are the principal motivations of grammaticalization, whilethe former is essential.