The Formation And Development Of The Affix "Zi"

The affix"Zi"was first used in ancient times, and its function in word formation was gradually strengthened in Chinese of medieval times and premodern times, accompanied by its diversity in usage. However,"Zi"as an affix lost its vitality as time goes by. Related academia has focused on latitudinal description of"Zi"such as its usage and characteristics, intentionally evading study on its formation time, an unsettled argument. Multitudes of studies are on"Zi"as an affix in different times and in various dialects while a few researchers attempt efforts to explore the reasons of this phenomenon. But their interpretations are not convincing since their study is confined by the theory of"grammarization". Language is used by human, generated and developed in specific social backgrounds.Humanism is the base of view of language in this essay. Longitudinal study on"Zi"in the essay includes its formation in primitive times, its development in premodern times and its decline in modern times, mainly exploring the reasons. Some latitudinal descriptions of"Zi"serve for this purpose.