The Study Of "X Kan/Jian/Qiao" Discourse Markers In Chinese

Based on the theory of discourse markers and grammaticalization,this paper makes a comprehensive and systematic study of "X kan/ jian/ qiao" discourse markers from the perspective of synchronic and diachronic.At the synchronic plane,this article examines their characters,classifications and pragmatic functions.At the diachronic plane,this article examines their origin,evolution process,the motivation and mechanism of evolution.Apart from the introduction and conclusion,this article is made up three chapters.In the first chapter,we define and classify the "X kan/ jian/ qiao" discourse markers.First of all,according to the nature of discourse markers,we describe and analyze the characteristics of "X kan/ jian/ qiao" discourse markers from five aspects:semantics,syntax,pragmatics,phonology,and we conduct a qualitative analysis of whether the nine "X kan/ jian/ qiao" structures are discourse markers.Secondly,we classify "X kan/ jian/ qiao" discourse markers from five perspectives: location,style,structural form,typicality and pragmatic function.In the second chapter,we examine the pragmatic functions of "X kan/ jian/qiao" discourse markers.The pragmatic functions they undertake can be divided into discourse function,meta-language function and interpersonal function: discourse functions include topic markers and coherence functions;meta-language functions include indexing the speaker's subjective attitude and understanding,highlighting or emphasizing the content,guiding inference or judgement;interpersonal functions include mitigating face threats and guiding problem inquiry."X kan/ jian/ qiao" discourse markers are multi-functional,but they have core functions and accompanying functions."Wokan,woqiao" mainly undertake meta-language functions,and "nikan,niqao" mainly undertake interpersonal functions."Kejian" mainly undertakes the discourse function."Zhijian,yankan,yanjian,nibiekan" mainly undertakes the meta-language function.In the third chapter,we examine the origin and evolution of "X kan/ jian/qiao" discourse markers,and discusses the motivation and mechanism of evolution.First,the article sorts out the origin and evolution of each discourse marker,and summarizes their formation and evolution process into three stages.Second,the article discusses the causes and mechanisms of their formation and evolution.Motivations include changes in syntactic environment,semantic evolution and decategorization,and high-frequency use.And the evolutionary mechanisms include reanalysis,analogize,subjectivization and interactive subjectivity,metaphor,and pragmatic reasoning.