A Study On Classifiers In Early Ancient Chinese

The existence of classifiers is a noticeable characteristic in Chinese and it is an advantage as well, compared with other languages, which helps people make the expression of semantic meaning more precise, bright and vivid. These classifiers bud in the Qin Dynasty. And they came into being and matured in the Dong and Xi Dynasty. Studying the classifiers in the Dong and Xi Dynasty systematically has crucial significance to its times' distinguish and its appearance and the dynamic cause of gramaticalization.The language materials, came down from the early ancient Chinese, are the essential ones in studying the language of Dong and Xi Dynasty. The discovery of unearthed documents in 20th century (the inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells, ancient bronzes, bamboo slips or wooden slips or silks and stones) offers newly authentic materials for the period of early ancient Chinese study. Utilizing the extent and unearthed documents, this article represents the developing rules of classifiers in inner on the basis of classifier divisions researching and discusses the dynamic cause of classifiers origin in Chinese and Zang-language system. The article includes the following seven chapters:Prolegomenon is presented in chapter one which includes the overview of the history in classifier studying, the definition of classifier according to the actual use of language in early ancient times and the introduction of studying methods. It briefly introduces the utilization of editions and the period of materials formation in three parts of the extent documents, unearthed materials and Buddhist sutras translated by Chinese.The study on classifiers in early ancient Chinese is presented in the chapters of 2-5 which includes the across-the-aboard reorganization and the statistic to the 358 classifiers seen in document of early ancient Chinese. There are 338 classifiers for objects and 20 classifiers for actions. The article draws on the dubious evidential method to arrange and research the use of classifiers in documents. And it analyzes the source, development of each classifier from contemporaneous and diachronic views and deduces its characteristics on developing. From the view of its grammar functions, classifiers have mighty arrangement and can be used as different components. From the point of its word formation, the ways of measure word+noun and measure word+measure word have come into being and the ways of suffix and serried word formation have risen with few examples. Its assorted component is good in its structures. The frame of numeral with the classifiers for objects can be used as attribute, predicate,subject, object, peer entity, complement and adverbial, but the frame of numeral with measure word for actions can be used as adverbial as well as complement. Although classifiers gradually devise their functions exactly, it is less perfect than later. And in the unearthed document, the early classifiers'development has its regional character which is not seen in former studies in the field.The studies on the numeral and metage method of early ancient Chinese are presented in chapter 6 which includes the study of numeral usages and the observation of styles with classifier or noun. Firstly, In the case of integer with oddment, the connective "(?)" remained in the bamboo of Chu Dynasty, few used in the middle of the Warring States Period, unseen in Qin Dynasty. Secondly, the structure of numeral+classifier+noun was early seen in Qin Dynasty, in which the classifiers are mainly piece classifier seen in Buddhist sutras. Thirdly, it increased classifier use in early ancient Chinese. Classifier has equal share of using or un-using in unearthed document, but classifier use in metage method undoubtedly plays a dominated role in account books and mortuary-objects records which is few in extent documents. In addition, the early metage method developed its regional traits.The studies on the time and dynamic cause of Chinese classifier system are presented in chapter seven. Despite a great deal of researches on classifier origin in Chinese and Zang-language systems, there's no unanimous recognized conclusion. The article infers that the orientation of disyllable brings about the classifier origin in the base of the study on classifiers in early ancient Chinese.With the new materials discovered,the studies on the classifiers in early ancient Chinese has great significance to the study of Chinese vocabulary's history. The new conclusions corrected our prejudices to the study on the classifiers in early ancient Chinese:27 classifieres never been disvered;12 classifieres could expansion the significance of the study on classifier;5 classifieres could be new examples.52 classifieres shifted their own first appearance to an earlier date. All these Conclusiones told us a truth:if we want have an entired study on the history of Chinese language,we should make more on the study on classifiers in early ancient Chinese.