The Morphological Relativities of Ergative Verbs in Old Chinese

DOI HANDLE Web Site Open Access
  • Liu Hongyan
    Communication Design Science Course, Department of Design, Graduate School of Design, Kyushu University

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 上古中国語における能格動詞の形態対立
  • ジョウコ チュウゴクゴ ニ オケル ノウカクドウシ ノ ケイタイ タイリツ

Search this article

Abstract

This report studies the morphological characteristics of ergative verbs in Old Chinese Ergative verbs are morphologically relative in single-argument verb structure Np1+V and multi-argument verb sentence Np2+V+Np1. Three evidences can be found for the morphological relativity of ergative verb: the relativity of suffix *-s and non-affixal morphemes, the relativity of suffix *-s and suffix *-ʔ, and the relativity of initial voiceless and voiced consonants. Besides, the combined use of affixes and voiceless consonants, suffix *-ʔ and non-affixal forms also contribute to the research of the question. Examinations are conducted on these morphological relativities based on audio materials of Old Chinese and morphological date of phonological dictionaries in Middle Chinese from historical comparative linguistics. Word examples from these materials are sorted out and summarized, based on which this paper addresses the possibility of exploring the historical morphological changes of ergative verbs. It is maintained that the above morphological characteristics can be regarded as the criteria for ergative verbs.

Journal

  • 芸術工学研究

    芸術工学研究 18 61-68, 2013-03-29

    Faculty of Design, Kyushu University

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top