A Typological Study On The Multi-functionality Of Reduplication

This thesis is devoted to the studies of the multi-functionality of reduplications,in the framework of typology. The whole work falls into eight chapters.Chapter1is an introduction. This chapter reviews the previous typologicalresearches concerning the functions of reduplications, and makes a brief introductionof the theories used in this research. Lastly, the range of this study and the linguisticdata used in this thesis are illustrated.Chapter2investigates the multi-functions of reduplications cross-linguistically.With a differentiation of the productivity of reduplications in a specific language,functions expressed by the reduplication of different lexical categories, which arenouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, are summarized respectively, and each functionis exemplified with data from different languages. Based on the rather detailedinvestigation, two generalizations about reduplications are raised: the first is thecross-categoriality of the reduplication; the second is the universal tendency amongthe use of reduplications to express the categories of number, property and aspect.Chapter3focuses on the construction of the correlations of the various functionsexpressed by reduplications. Referring to the different performance of reduplicationscross-linguistically and the function of some other devices encoding the numbercategory, this chapter correlates the functions of plural, numerous, collectiveuniversal quantification, distributive universal quantification, various kinds,collective, stative and in order, with the function plural as the core. Similarly, in thecategories of tense and aspect, this chapter correlates the functions of iterative,continuative, progressive, habitual, future, detransitivizing, backgrouding, mannerand stative, with the function iterative as the core. Furthermore, based on thefunctional maps obtained through cross-linguistic comparison, this chapter proposesthat the verb reduplication in Chinese dialects may have two different situations. Thefirst is some Chinese dialects, such as the Wuning dialect and the Yangzhou dialect, may own the primary verb reduplication which is differing from the the secondaryverb reduplication in Mandarin, with the representation of a different stress pattern.The second is that, the function of the secondary verb reduplication in some dialects,especially in some southern dialects, is experiencing a process of functionalexpansion, which leads their functions more close to the primary verb reduplication.In the process of expansion, the function backgrounding plays an important role, andthe de-marking mechanism of grammaticalization is the most important motivation.Chapter4mainly discusses the relations between functions of reflexive andreciprocal, among the upmost point, augmentation of degree and prototype, amongtopic, conditional and concessive. Based on the statistics, this chapter comes to thefollowing conclusions:(1) Function reflexive and reciprocal are connected withplural(and iterative) respectively;(2) Function the upmost point is a specificperformance of the function augmentation of degree, and the polysemy ofaugmentation of degree and prototype, as a common phenomenon, can also be seen inadverbs of degree.(3) As a property of the reduplication, the function emphasis mayleads to the frequent appearance of reduplications in the topic position. The use ofreduplications as a concessive clause, may be a further evolution of the functionemphasis. As for the function of encoding a conditional clause, two evolutionarysources may be possible, one is the function of encoding topics, and the other is thefunction of backgrounding.Chapter5is mainly about the functions concerning diminutive. This chapterholds that the use of reduplications may also have another motivation: imitating ofbaby talk. The cognitive mechanism of the reduplication in baby-talk can begeneralized as ‘the infection of speaker’s character’. Based on the relavant studies,this chapter constructs the universal relations between functions expressed bydiminutives. Through comparing the behavior of reduplications in a certain languagewith this functional map, this chapter figures out that some seemingly non-iconicfunctions of reduplications, such as only, pretend, nominalization, specific (kind ofsth), attenuation of degree and attenuation of action, may be the more peripheralfunctions of diminutives. Chapter6gives a special concern to the phenomenon of de-reduplication, that is,the contraction of reduplications in languages, which does not get enough attentionyet. After the illustration of some examples, this chapter analyses the possible resultsbought by the opration of contraction, including semantic results and the results onother aspects. Lastly, this chapter briefly mentions the issue of the diachronic relationbetween the partial and full reduplication.Chapter7is dedicated to the relation between reduplications, symmetricalstructures and coordinate structures. From the view of the semantic and syntacticbehavior, this chapter argues that some symmetrical structures are more close tophrasal reduplications, like partial reduplications inserted with affixes, while somesymmetrical structures are more close to coordinate structures. Reduplications alsobear some similar semantic features to coordinate structures. Based on the analysisabove, this chapter describes the hierarchy of reduplications on different levels, that is,from the level of syllables, to the level of words and phrases, even to the level ofclauses.Chapter8makes a general conclusion, and points out the issues needing furtherexplorations.