Grammaticalization of the Cantonese double object verb [pei³⁵] 畀 in typological and areal perspectives

This paper examines five syntactic functions performed by the double object verb [pei(35)] (sic) (meaning 'to give') in the Cantonese dialects: (a) Indirect object marker; (b) beneficiary marker; (c) causative verb; (d) passive marker; and (e) instrument marker. It will, through cross-linguistic and cross-dialectal comparison, show how these functions are related to the double object verb as a result of grammaticalization which involves a number of semantic and cognitive processes such as desemanticization, decategorialization, and semantic-pragmatic inferencing. The grammaticalization paths and the chronological development of these functions of [pei(35)] (sic) will also be examined on the basis of synchronic and diachronic data from Cantonese. Finally, the multifunctionality of give found in some non-Sinitic languages spoken in China and the Southeast Asian linguistic area will be discussed from an areal perspective.
本文探討粵語雙賓動詞「畀」的五種語法功能：（1）間接賓語標記；（2）受益者標記；（3）使役動詞；（4）被動標記；（5）工具標記。透過跨方言和跨語言比較，本文指出以上語法功能是雙賓動詞語法化產生的結果。此外，本文利用早期和當代粵方言材料，構擬這五種語法功能的發展時序。最後，本文從區域語言學角度，把有關的語法化現象跟中國大陸和鄰近地區（特別是東南亞語言區域）非漢語語言比較，歸納當中涉及的一些語言演變機制。 Copyright © 2011 中央研究院語言學研究所.