A Study On Modal Particles Of Suzhou Dialect

Suzhou is a provincial city with a two-thousand-year history, which lies in the north of Anhui province. It borders Shandong province and Henan province in the north, Bengbu in the south, Jiangsu province in the east and Huaibei in the west. It has always been a place of strategic importance in history.Suzhou Dialect is classified as Zhongyuan Mandarin. It was rarely studied by scholars before, neither the vocabulary nor the grammar. With the urbanization of Suzhou and the dissemination of Mandarin, Suzhou Dialect is dying out. Thus it is urgent as well as important to keep track of and study the authentic Suzhou Dialect, which is of academic value.The modal particles in Suzhou Dialect are frequently used in daily life. The usage of them is quite multiplex. A comprehensive and thorough description could not only fill the gap in the research of Suzhou Dialect, but also lay a foundation for further research.Based on the oral corpus survey, approaches and theories of former research, this thesis analyzes the notional function and pragmatic conditions of the eleven modal particles in Suzhou Dialect mainly, thus drawing a general and detailed outline of their taxeme.The thesis has four chapters.Chapter One is an introduction to the geographic situation and history of Suzhou, and the initial consonants, rhythmic entries and tones of Suzhou Dialect. The aim, main methods and significance of this thesis are also interpreted.Chapter Two is the study of modal particles in Suzhou Dialect. It probes into the methods of studying the meanings and functions of modal particles. Then it uses the methods to fully describe the meanings and usage of the eleven modal particles in Suzhou Dialect.Chapter Three is monographic study of modal particles in Suzhou Dialect. The first section sorts out the usage of Lai and analyzes the mechanism of its grammaticalization. The second section compares the eleven modal particles, analyzes their locations in sentences and contrasts the modal particles used in interrogative sentences. The third section discusses the modal particles used in Ke interrogative sentences.Chapter Four is conclusion. This part is a conclusion of the whole thesis. It summarizes the research of modal particles in Suzhou Dialect, expatiates on some experience during the study and brings forward some advice and assumptions to the development in this area in the future.