The Evolution Of Modern Chinese Degree Adverb System

Degree adverb which has a higher frequency of utilization is a sub-category of adverb. It is important in expressing degree and emphasizing.From Mid-Qing Dynasty to1960s pre-modern Chinese gradually stepped into modern Chinese. Degree adverb as an important means of expression participates in this great evolution of language definitely. Analyzing the evolution of the degree adverb system is necessary for recognizing Chinese diachronic changes comprehensively and being acquainted with modern Chinese word class. According to the retrieval of the author, academia has not yet to make a comprehensive study of this evolution presently.This paper separates out48degree adverbs from the degree adverbs ranges that are listed in the syntax of the domestic high-impact monographs as the degree adverb system that is about to be studied. This paper also exhaustively inspects the frequency of utilization and the relative number of percentage of every degree adverb, combination of items, syntactic elements and the sentence category, etc.This paper selects representatives of literary works style language materials over the past200years(from Mid-Qing Dynasty to1960s) as the objects of study. And the evolution of degree adverb in this period is divided into seven stages. On the basis of detailed quantitative statistics and qualitative analysis, this paper makes a comprehensive description of the use of the degree adverb system in all stages and makes a detailed and comprehensive comparative study of the differences in degree adverb system and try to make a explanation as reasonable as possible for the differences of evolution of degree adverb.The first chapter is an introduction which discusses the topics of meaning and research methods. The second to the eighth chapters discuss the specific use of degree adverb in the seven stages and make a pairwise contrast according to the time sequencing. Among those stages,’A Dream of Red Mansions’which lies in the early modern Chinese stage shows many "special cases" that are different from the later stages. The ninth chaper analyzes degree adverbs systematically in absolute number and relative percentage two ways of the language materials. And summes up the evolution types of degree adverbs and the directions of the degree adverb system evolution which of four kinds:"inheritation, newborn, interruption, disappearance". This paper argues that the use of the degree adverbs over the past200years is from gradually abandoning the complex "special cases" in the early stage to the development of the neat and normative "mainstream" direction. This shows that language is maintaining a balance as far as possible in the pursuit of economic expressing and enriching means of expression and the need to continue to self-adjust in a variety of ways.