| A linguistic theory is concerned with the enterprise of elucidating the nature of the grammar of human languages. But along with asking the question "what is the nature of grammar?", we can also ask "how do languages acquire grammar?".(Bybee, 2002) It is the interest of researchers in the latter question that leads to the revival and elaboration of a theory of grammaticalization, that is, to the examination of the process by which grammar is created. Grammticalization refers to the evolution of a morpheme from a lexical to grammatical and other relevant language change. Some functional linguists view that grammar change (including grammaticalization) is motivated by pragmatic/cognitive strategies through human communication, and that language use is an essential factor in the development of grammatical construction; synchronic variation is representative of stages through which diachronic evolution has to go.Tense and aspect are widely acknowledged in the linguistic literature to represent a classic case of grammaticalization from full verb to function words. Vendryes specifies "Among the tenses differentiated in our grammars, one is eminently subjective, the future." (1925/1996: 151) Then he uses Chinese yao and English will/shall to illustrate his point. Wang Li (1984) thinks of this view as accurate. He believes that Chinese future is derived from optative form just because future is eminently subjective. According to Bybee, Perkins and Pagliuca (1994), future is less a temporal category and more a category resembling agent-oriented and epistemic modality, with important temporal implications The focal use of the future is the prediction on the part of the speaker that the event is to occur after the moment of speech. In addition to prediction, future includes willingness, intention, etc. Cross-linguistic study of derivation of futures identifies a universal prototype for future, namely, future from volition and future from movement.This thesis aims to test this hypothesis using the Chinese data. On top of that, comparative study of English and Chinese futures is conducted. The comparative study of the grammaticalizational process, manner, degree of futures in these two languages can reveal the mechanism of grammaticalization, hence delineates the respective characteristics as well as the laws of language.The thesis specifies the main task of the present study: comparative study of futures from diachronic and synchronic perspectives with qualitative and quantitative methodology. The introduction presents definition, scope and studying approach of grammaticalization and the main task of the present study.In order to have a survey of previous researches about grammaticalization and initiate the present study, Chapter 1 provides the review of previous researches about grammaticalization and then the statement about problem of the previous study. The researches can be divided into three stages:(l) Earlier researches on grammaticalziation represented by Meillet: grammaticalziation was viewed mainly part of diachronic linguistics, as a means of analyzing linguistic evolution; (2) Recent approaches (1970s-1980s), grammaticalization studies were expended from predominantly diachronic approaches to synchronic and typological investigation of linguistic material; (3) Current studies (1980s-now):grammaticalization assumes a significant place as a topic in its own right.Chapter 2 introduces some theoretical issues and a framework applicable in this thesis: Grammaticalization is a combination process with macro-diachronic and micro-synchronic processes. We can give cognitive interpretation to diachronic change while we have to explore contextual requirements on synchronic level. As a result of interplay of metaphor and metonymy, language is found to be of continuity and discontinuity. A comparative study of the gramamticalizational process, mechanism, motivation and degree of the related grammatical categories in Chinese and English can reveal principles of grammaticalization, atte...
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