The Ryongchon Dialect Pronoun System

As a frequent used close-class parts of speech, pronouns can easily reveal the features of dialects and be influenced by the nearby dialects, thus generates dialect differences. The dialect difference between the south and north part of Longchuan is especially distinct. Choosing nine representative towns as investigative spots, this paper gives an overall research to the pronoun system of Longchuan dialect. With the field survey, it provides a synchronic description and comparison of the phonetic structure, lexical features and grammatical functions of the personal pronouns, indicative pronouns, and interrogative pronouns of that region. Besides, we analyze some other relevant issues. These issues include: the analysis of the three forms of the plural personal pronouns in Longchuan dialect; the survey of the condition in which the singular personal pronoun function as an attribute. Of these, we take a etymologic research at the possessive case and point out that it is a compound-syllable phenomenon; begin with"Ge", a possessive auxiliary word, we discuss the close relation between the structure auxiliary word and the quantifier and indicates quantifier cannot evolve into a structure auxiliary word without an intermediate state. As the deictic words share a lot in common with the structure auxiliary words, they are chosen as the intermediate state; the quantifier in Longchuan dialect has a definite function, especially in the"quantifier+noun"structure. From the cognitive angle of view, this definite function roots in its quantity presented feature; we probe into the issue of the changing of tone. The Longchuan dialect distinguishes two kinds of deictic words by changing the tune. Such kind of phonetic internal inflection can be frequently seen in many other dialects and it is essentially different from the inflection of the Indo-European; we depict the usage of a special pronoun"[it]"and presume that it is the numeral"一". In addition, we provide a logical prove to this from the point of dialect, cognition, etc; this paper gives a comprehensive analysis to the types of the deictic words in Longchuan dialect and points out the internal incoherence of the system, that is to say, the words used to denote the location and things are multi-division while to denote the time is dichotomy and the properties degree, manner is non-division. From the incoherence, the paper discusses the commonness between them and thus educes a commonness sequence: properties degree, manner