This thesis is a study of the syntax of the ti construction in Tunxi Hui, an
understudied Hui dialect in the Sinitic family of languages.
The aims of this these are three-fold: (i) to provide a sketch of the syntax of
Tunxi Hui, and (ii) to explore the polyfunctionality of the ti morpheme and the syntax
of the ti construction in Tunxi Hui, and (iii) to examine the north-south division of
passive markers particularly with respect to languages in Anhui Province, and the type
of passive marker the Tunxi Hui ti belongs to, as well as some properties of the ti
passive construction.
This thesis explores the polyfunctionality of the ti morpheme in Tunxi Hui, as a
lexical verb ‘give’ and as a coverb. When ti is a lexical verb, the construction it
appears in is a double object construction (DOC), and the linear order of the two
objects has to be the recipient NP before the Theme NP. When ti is a coverb, it is often
found in a serial verb construction (SVC) or a pivotal construction. As far as an SVC
is concerned, the coverb ti can serve as a recipient marker, a benefactive marker or a
locative marker. Otherwise, if the coveb ti occurs in a pivotal construction where the
two or more verbs in the sentence do not share the same structural subject, it can serve
as a permissive marker, a causative marker or a passive marker.
With respect to passive markers, we first give an overview of the types of
passives markers in Sinitic languages. Aside from the bei passives, we also have the
zhuo ‘attach’ passives, the causative passives and the ‘give’-passives. We propose a
revision of Hashimoto’s (1988) north-south division of passive markers, i.e. the
causative passives versus the ‘give’-passives, particularly with respect to languages of
Anhui Province. We find that the passive marker ti in Tunxi Hui belongs to the give
type of passives. The ti passive construction in Tunxi Hui is characterized by the
obligatory occurrence of an agent phrase and the semantic implication of
adversity.
It is hoped that this study can contribute to the understanding of the syntax of the
ti construction in Tunxi Hui, and can provide useful authentic data of an understudied
language for further linguistic analyses. / published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/161516 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Lu, Wen, 陸文 |
| Contributors | Bodomo, AB, Lam, OSC |
| Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
| Source Sets | Hong Kong University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | PG_Thesis |
| Source | http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B47869732 |
| Rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works., Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License |
| Relation | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) |
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