The Comparison Of The Typical Bei-constructions And The New "Bei+XX" Constructions In Mandarin Chinese

This paper, under the framework of the Principles and Parameters theory, tries toexplain the categorical status of bei and the derivational mechanism of bei-passives inMandarin Chinese and discusses the categorical status of bei in the new “bei+XX”constructions.Comparing the similarities and differences between the bei-passives and the newbei-constructions syntactically and semantically, we find that the new constructionsare not mechanical application of the typical ones. There are both differences andrelationship between the two kinds of constructions. We assume that the special use ofbei in the new “bei+XX” constructions is the result of the grammaticalization of beiin the short bei-passives. In order to explain the relationship between the twoconstructions, we firstly revisit the categorical status of bei and the syntacticderivation of bei-passives, which is the foundation for the study of the bei in the newconstructions.Initially this thesis revisits the issues related to bei-passives. After balancing theprevious approaches such as the propositional approach, the verbal approach, the dualstatus approach and the non-uniform approach, we propose a new non-uniform modelto approach the issues related to the bei-passives under the framework of Parameters&Principles theory. Because of the grammaticalization of bei, we think there are threedifferent bei-passives: the direct long passives, the indirect long passives and the shortpassives. Beis in the three kinds of passives are a preposition, a verb and a passivemarker respectively, and different bei-passives have different derivationalmechanisms.Secondly, this thesis revisits the new “bei+XX” constructions. After studying theadvantages and the disadvantages of the previous research in which bei is mainly takenas an auxiliary, an affix-like element, an adverb and a negative marker, we propose anew way to study these new constructions syntactically and semantically and believethat there are three different beis in the new constructions because of thegrammaticalization of bei, and they are the passive marker bei, the type-shifter bei andthe prefix-like element bei, and the three beis are in the sequence of development.Lastly, we make some assumptions about the development of bei. In addition tothe study of bei in the bei-passives and in the new “bei+XX” constructions, we alsoprovide the special bei-constructions in Huitong Dialect to support our assumption thatbei may be grammaticalized or lexicalized into an element like English passive morpheme–en or more grammaticalized elements.