A Study Of Modal Adverbs In Qi

This thesis focuses on the modal adverbs in “The Lamp on the Forked Road“, a novel of education, and makes a more comprehensive and systematic analysis on the modal adverbs collects from it as many as possible. This paper firstly makes a brief exposition of “The Lamp on the Forked Road“ and modal adverb, and summarizes the grammatical characteristics of the modal adverb on the basis of previous researches. Then from the way of word formation, as well as the semantic perspective,and according to the division method of Zhang Yisheng,we classifies the 206 modal adverbs from “The Lamp on the Forked Road“ into three subcategories: manner adverb, circumstantial adverb and comparative adverb. The various features of modal adverbs in “The Lamp on the Forked Road“ are showed in these two different ways in order to achieve a better effect of analysis and research.The paper also compares the modal adverbs of “The Lamp on the Forked Road“ with the modal adverbs in literature of various periods, and according to both synchronic description and diachronic comparison, we can grasp the characteristics of modal adverbs in “The Lamp on the Forked Road“, and also have a more particular knowledge of the development and evolution of modal adverb in history.According to comprehensive, statistical statistics in“The Lamp on the Forked Road“, I find that it has 34 items of monosyllabic modal adverbs and uses a frequency of 1382 times, what’s more, it has 172 complex syllable modal adverbs and uses a frequency of 1663 times. From this we can clearly see that the number of syllables modal adverb complex has an absolute advantage, however, the average frequency of use, monosyllabic modal adverb is far more than a complex syllables. In the third chapter of modal adverbs in diachronic comparison, we can also clearly see that the number of modern Chinese polysyllable modal adverbs has more than monosyllabic modal adverbs,moreover,the number of modern Chinese polysyllable modal adverbs are growing fast. We also find modal adverbs yields up very strong. But in the whole development process it also presents unstable characteristics.