"modern Chinese Dictionary" Softly, Non-softly Shaped Entry

Being one of the important and special phenomena of Chinese language,light tone influences not just intensity,quantity, pitch and quality of Chinese phonology but also Chinese vocabulary and grammar.The research on light tone has already had a history of nearly a century and been made a great progress since it was started in the year 1922,when Mr.Zhao Yuanren put forward the concept of'light tone'in his On Gwoyeu Romatzyh,however,these research results are more about Chinese phonology,and academic community has not reached a consensus about the effect of light tone on Chinese vocabulary and grammar.This thesis takes the soft-sounded entries and non- soft-sounded entries that have the same Chinese character as the language data bank in Modern Chinese Dictionary(5th version,2005), makes a contrastive study of the two different types of entries in semantic meaning and grammar and then approaches the effect of light tone on Chinese vocabulary and grammar. Specifically, it carries on the research of related issues of light tone from the angles of inner structure,semantic meaning, grammar and identity etc involving word formation by light tone.In this way,for the tow different types of entries, it is helpful both to making clear of the characteristics of inner structureand,semantic meaning, grammar and the identity and to teaching and lexicography. This thesis consists of six parts as follow.Chapter 1 is a brief introduction. It introduces the purpose and meaning of the thesis,the current situation of the research on modern light tone Chinese words.By working on this investigation,we have find that there are still some areas receiving little attention and problems which need to be worked out.This part also includes the theories and methods of the research,and the sources of language materials.Chapter 2 is a exhausting description analysis on inner structure of the soft-sounded entries and non- soft-sounded entries that have the same Chinese character.Firstly,it analyzes characteristics of inner structure of non- soft-sounded entries.Then,it analyzes the structural changes of all entries before and after light tone.We find that all the simple entries of non- soft-sounded entries are onomatopoetic word and the construction of its compound entries is mainly coordinate modifier-head construction.However,we judge the construction of soft-sounded entries through non- soft-sounded entries.Chapter 3 is an analysis of semantic meaning of soft-sounded entries and non-soft-sounded entries that have the same Chinese character.It studies the language material from two angles.One is from the angle of the relation of meaning of a word and meaning of its morpheme.And we find that the meaning of the morpheme can directly reflects the word'meaning in non- soft-sounded entries and the word's meaning is the extended meaning of the morpheme's meaning in non- soft-sounded entries.The other is from the angle of fundamental meaning and connotation.We find that most of pairs'fundamental meanings have extended relation and the connotation of soft-sounded entries has more tendency to colloquial style, derogatory and satiric hue,and modern glosseme.Chapter 4 is an analysis of grammar of soft-sounded entries and non- soft-sounded entries that have the same Chinese character.It is divided into two parts.One is that part of speech has not changed before and after light tone.The changes of grammatical meaning are manifested in the following ways:after light tone,noun gradually loses real meaning,even,the last morpheme becomes a affix; verbs'semantic meaning of verb is the meaning of Verb Overlapping; adjectives'grammaticalization is not very conspicuous,but its some of last morpheme becomes a affix.The other is that part of speech has changed before and after light tone.It includs two type:lexical meaning changes with grammatical meaning unchanging and both of lexical meaning and grammatical meaning change. All the above is analysed by using language material.Chapter 5 is an analysis of the identy of soft-sounded entries and non- soft-sounded entries that have the same Chinese character.It analyzes the identy in the view of word meaning and parts of speech by the ideas of vocabulary word and grammar word.For the identity of word meaning,it points out that the entries which both have the connection of etymology and modern meaning belong to one vocabulary word. For the identity of parts of speech, it points out that the entries whose word meaning unchang and grammar meaning only chang, belong to one vocabulary word.And, it also points out the un- ideal arrangement entries in Modern Chinese Dictionary(5th version,2005) and gives reasonable suggestions.In the end, it involves word formation by light tone and admits light tone can make a word.Chapter 6 is a conclusion of the thesis.And it also illustrates the value of this study and raises important issues that need to be further discussed.