Semantic Feature Study On Abbreduplication In Yuan Drama

The use of ABB reduplication in drama, to a certain extent, contributed to Yuan drama and promoted it to form its own features as well as made it popular, and helped it to be inherited till nowadays. There are total four hundred ABB-type reduplication examples in <The Selected of Yuan Dramas> and <The West Chamber>. According to different character of “A word ”, this article classifies ABB reduplication into five categories, including 55 examples of “noun A” plus “BB” reduplication, 73 examples of “verb A” plus “BB” reduplication, 162 examples of “adjective A” plus “BB” reduplication, 56 examples of “numeral A” plus “BB” reduplication and 54 examples of “onomatopoetic A” plus “BB” reduplication. This paper makes a detailed analysis of these ABB reduplications from the views of basic meaning and additional meaning, and summarizes the features of the use of ABB reduplication in Yuan Dynasty---the ABB reduplication not only strengthens the meaning of itself, but also carries some additional meanings. The basic meaning has obvious feature of “similar”, while the additional meaning has obvious features of “image characteristic, emotion characteristic and style characteristic”. The ABB reduplication has the rhetoric value of “describing objects; imitating sounds and expressing emotions".Because of the flexible structure form, abundant semantic expression and stable grammatical function, the quasi trisyllable(a transitional form from phrase to word) or the trisyllable developed very fast from the Middle Age, and its semantic feature became more distinct and typed till modern times when the Yuan drama is popular.