The Multidimensional Research On New-born Modal Particle Word "O(哦)"

On the basis of statistics over a large quantity of language materials, the author comes to find that the word of "O(哦)",which has long been considered as a word of interjection in the past, actually used to be a modal particle at the end of sentence at an early occasion, yet only with few cases or called as "modal particle-to-be" at best. However, affected by the Chinese language of Taiwan, the "modal particle-to-be" of"O(哦)''has been accepted by more and more people in the recent years and used frequently in the daily life. So the author convinces that the word of"O(哦)''has leapt into a new-born modal particle from the old "modal particle-to-be" in the Mandarin.The result of the questionnaire investigation indicates that the new-born modal particle "O(哦)"has a wide range of usage among the interviewees from different backgrounds and the most frequent use in the common clauses and imperative sentences. At present, the word "O(哦)"is used comparatively quite often in the Internet communication, but its scope of application is expanding rapidly. In our daily life, the word "O(哦)"is often used in the communication among close peers or juniors so as to keep a mutually intimate relationship. In some cases, the word "O(哦)"can also act a part in drawing each other closer and build up new and more relationships.Except for the presentation of the use of new-born modal particle through the language material, this thesis also carries out deep research into its distribution, meaning of tone and the usage with other modal particles and further exploration on the reason and mechanism of its rising. The main conclusions are as followed:1. The word"O(哦)''can appear at the end of declarative, imperative, exclamatory and interrogative sentences. In terms of imperative sentences, there are more cases of usage in emphatic and negative forms than in affirmative form at the end of sentences while it generally appears only at the end of the yes-no interrogative sentences with proving tones in this respect. Besides, it can be used together with the modal particle word "De(的)"and"Le (了)". 2. The word "O(哦)"has both "middle-Ping tone" and "low-Ping tone". The former one mainly is used at the end of declarative and imperative sentences to express a tone of reminder while the latter one appears at the end of exclamatory and interrogative sentences to express a tone of relieve more often than not.3. It is both the factors of outside and inside that contributes to the rising of the modal particle word "O(哦)"On one hand, the influences of Taiwan Chinese language makes it filter into people's mind, plus the communication based on Internet leads to a growing number of people who are using and an expanding range of usage even more; on the other hand, from the view of inner-system of language, the courtesy rank of word"O(哦)''is higher than the word "A(啊)''and lower than the word "Ba(吧)"Therefore, it can be used in some imperative sentences which the word "A(啊)" and "Ba(吧)'are not fit for, which happens to fill in the gap of imperative tones in Mandarin thus to a better satisfaction with the needs of people's expressions.