漢語動詞後「一點」的語法化

Abstract

本文主要以語法化的角度為出發點探討漢語動詞後「一點」的語法化現象。本文認為以共時角度來看，「一點」最開始的用法是作為不定量詞，說明名詞的量。之後再演變為動詞和形容詞的補語。本文也用歷時的語料加以佐證這個主張。 由於語用功能在語法化中扮演讓意思改變的角色，本文探討「一點」的緩和功能。本文將討論內容設定在「A一點」的結構並主要討論兩大內容。其一，本文整理出在語料中觀察到「一點」會出現且具有緩和作用的結構。依照說話者的觀點主要有五種結構：「A一點」、「比較A一點」、「A了一點」、「太A了一點」。其二，本文探討在什麼情況下聽者會知道說話者使用「一點」是為了緩和作用，什麼時候「一點」又維持原意而不具有緩和作用。本文認為，「一點」會被解讀為緩和的詞語的條件是主觀性(subjectivity)、相互主觀性(intersubjectivity)和四個說話者必須緩和其話語的原因共同造成的。 本文也探討是否說話者表達命令時，「一點」一定可以緩和說話者的話語強度。本文藉由Lin(1981)和Lee-Wong(1998)討論說話者表達直接要求的文章和問卷調查的結果來說明說話者使用「一點」不一定是為了緩和語氣，有時候是要表達某個不理想的狀況需要馬上獲得至少「一點」的改善。

The thesis focuses the discussion on the grammaticalization of the post-verbal yidian. In terms of the development of grammaticalization, from the synchronic data, it is suggested that yidian is originally used as a quantifier denoting the amount of the head noun, and then develops into the use of the complement of verbs and adjectives. The hypothesis of the development of the grammaticalization of yidian can be supported with diachronic data. Since meaning change caused by pragamatic usage usually goes along with grammaticalization, the thesis also discusses the pragmatic functions of yidian. Yidian in Mandarin Chinese is usually seen as a mitigator which displays hedging function. Limiting the discussion of the hedging function of yidian to the ‘A yidian’construction, this thesis further discusses this issue from two main points. First, the constructions in which yidian appears as a mitigator are spelled out. Through the observation from the collected data, it is found that standing on different point of views, the speakers may employ yidian as a mitigator with four constructions –‘ A yidian’, ‘bijiao A yidian’, ‘A le yidian’ and ‘tai A le yidian’. Second, it is discussed under what condition yidian displays its hedging function, i.e. how the hearers know that he speakers are hedging their utterances in one situation but not in another. It is suggested that yidian tends to be interpreted as a mitigator when subjectivity or intersubjectivity is involved in the utterances and there is one of the four reasons proposed in the thesis that the speaker needs to hedge his/her utterances. There is also a brief discussion on whether yidian is meant to be used to hedge the illocutionary force of a speaker when s/he is making orders. With the support of Lin’s (1981) and Lee-Wong’s (1998) papers on direct requests and the result of the survey, it is argued in the thesis that whether yidian is meant to be used as a mitigator is quite context-based and that yidian may not be a mitigator at all when a speaker is making an order to ask the addressee to make at least a bit of improvement to make some change in an undesirable situation.