Dah Sing Zhuang Adjectives Study

The main aim of the study is to identify the semantic and grammatical function in the used of adjective of Zhuang language in Daxin. The methods and theories of synchronic description and semantics, as well as some relational theories such as cognitive linguistics, valence grammar and field linguistics and so on,are used to analyse a total number of 829 adjectives in Daxin Zhuang.The dissertation consists of eight chapters:Preface, classification and sub-class of adjective, syntactic. function, combination function, adjective valence, the analysis of semantic and grammatical function of adjective reduplication, semantic analysis of colour adjective, conclusion and appendix.Chapter One, preface, introduces the current study of adjective in the world and indicates the purpose, significance, scope, theory and method to be used in the research and gives an introduction of the source of language data and an outline of Daxin Zhuang.Chapter Two, analyses the classification and sub-class of Daxin adjectives. First determinates the status and the definition of Daxin adjective, and then explicates the scope, last analyses the classification and sub-class of Daxin adjectives. This dissertation identifies that adjective is a sub-class of verb. and formulates the major and minor appraisal criteria and reference criterion of adjective classification and classifies adjective into two sub-classes, one is called pure adjective which is divided into monosyllabic adjective and bi-syllabic adjective, and another is called complex adjective which is divided into compound adjective and derivation adjective.Chapter Three, elaborates the syntactic function of Daxin adjectives. After analysing adjective structure. it analyses in-depth to the condition of adjective as attribute, predicate, adverbial, subject, object, and the amount statistic is made to each adjective which functions as each sentence constituent. After that analyses the functional differences which the two high-level class of adjective can function as each sentence constituent. The finding shows that major syntactic function of adjective is as attribute, next as predicate, then as adverbial, and last as subject or object. Besides that, it also discusses the cause and situation of adjective with object, the definition of adverbial, the semantic direction which adjective behaves as result adverbial, grammatical meaning of comment-result construction, and the construction between the comment-result and the object.Chapter Four, analyses the combination function of Daxin adjectives. It analyses respectively seven aspects as follows:the combination of adjectives and the degree word (la:i55), or and the negative adverb (mi33), and the dynamic particles (ja33),(ju33),(kva33), and numeral-classifiers. the word order which multiple adjectives comodify a noun, and prosodic match of adjective-noun or adjective-verb construction. The finding shows that all adjectives excepted derivation adjectives can combine themselves with the degree word (la:i55), negative adverb(mi33), and dynamic particles(ja33), (kva33), meanwhile only a few of adjectives can combine themselves with dynamic particle (ju33). The result also reveals that the combination of adjective and numeral-classifier is complicated, and the restrictive factors are:numeral, classifier, adjective itself, noun and verb. the word order is free which multiple adjectives comodify a noun,but the word order is fixed which adjective,demonstrative and numeral-classifier comodify a noun, and the order is:numeral-classifier +noun+adjective+demonstrative. the prosodic match of adjective-noun or adjective-verb construction is rather free.Chapter Five, studies the valence of Daxin adjectives by using valence grammatical theory. First, determines the valence category, then analyses respectively the syntactic match of mono-valence, bi-valence and tri-valence of Daxin adjectives.Chapter Six, analyses the semantics and grammatical function of adjective reduplication in Daxin Zhuang, inspects respectively three aspects as follows:the structural style, semantic feature and grammatical function of adjective reduplication in Daxin Zhuang.Chapter Seven, analyses the semantics of colour adjectives in Daxin Zhuang taking the theory and method of lexical semantics. And then analyses respectively the paradigmatic and syntagmatic relation of meaning of the colour adjectives.Chapter Eight, conclusion, concludes the main aim of the study, and points out the limitations and recommendations for further study.Appendix includes the word list of Daxin Zhuang adjectives and the table of Daxin Zhuang adjective functions and valences.The significance of the study of Daxin Zhuang adjectives is:(1) There have been many questions about the study on adjective in China or abroad. The study gives a full description and detail analysis of Daxin adjectives, provides a new result in adjective research, and enriches its content. This will be benefit to adjective study of Chinese and other languages, and be also advantageous in understanding adjective essence.(2)The study on Zhuang adjectives is rather poor. At present, special work of Zhuang adjectives is still blank, this study gives a full objective description, analysis and explanation of Daxin adjectives, It not only promotes awareness of Zhuang adjectives, but also can fill the blank that there is no special work on Zhuang adjectives;(3) The study discusses colour adjectives in Daxin Zhuang taking the theory and method of lexical semantics, it not only promulgates the whole system of colour expression of Daxin Zhuang, but also helps the exploration of the theory and method about the lexical study in Zhuang language;(4)It can establish the foundation of method and content of adjective cross-language comparison. Adjective in natural language is a crystallization of human cognition, there are differences and similarities in some aspects such as member, number, meaning of word, semantic expression, cultural meaning and so on. It is very valuable to do the comparative research of cross language about adjective, but there is a premise that adjective in a concrete language must be given a thorough analysis. So the study is somewhat valuable for establishing the theoretical framework of grammar in Zhuang-Dong language and understanding the general characters of adjective in the Sino-Tibetan and also the typological research of adjective.The major innovations of the study lie in four points:(1)It is the first time to put forward that adjective class in Daxin Zhuang is a sub-class of verb class, and formulate the major and minor appraisal criteria and reference criterion of adjective classification in Daxin Zhuang through comparative analysis within adjective, verb and noun in Daxin Zhuang. It solves effectively the hard question about adjective classification in Daxin Zhuang, and also exemplifies for adjective classification in Zhuang-Dong language; (2) It is the first time in Zhuang language for this study to analyse fully the construction, semantics and grammatical function of Daxin adjectives. Especially while analysing syntactic function, the study gets rid of the influence of the partitioning about adverbial-complement in Chinese. It cancels the conception of complement which is not universal in the world languages, and puts complement into adverbial class, then gives a new definition about adverbial and classifies the adjectives which can be functioned as adverbial; (3) Valence theory is first utilized to analyse Daxin adjectives,It is also a new try in Zhuang language;(4)It is undoubtedly the first time in Zhuang language to analyse the paradigmatic and syntagmatic relation of meaning of the colour adjectives in Daxin Zhuang taking lexical semantics theory. In fact, the study analyses the whole system of colour expression of Daxin Zhuang, and it certainly gives people a deeper understanding of the colour expression of Zhuang language.