南方民族语言处所介词的语序类型及相关来源

Word Order and Origin of the Place Propositions in Ethnic Languages in the South

文章探讨南方民族语言处所介词的语法结构和语序类型。文章认为南方民族语言处所介词可分为起点介词、终点介词、经过点介词、所在介词和方向介词5类。从语序来看,南方少数民族语言处所介词有前置型与后置型2种语序,分别为“V-PP”和“PP-V”。南方民族语言处所介词从实义动词语法化而来,具有单向性、渐变性特征,通过去语义化、范畴化、隐喻等方式得以体现。终点介词“到”来源于动词“到”,在语法化过程中经历两个阶段,即“动词>处所介词”。所在介词“在”来源于动词“在”,经历4个阶段,其语法化路径为“‘居住’义动词>‘存在/领有’义动词>处所介词>持续体标记”;有些语言的语法化路径为“‘存在’义动词>处所介词”,“居住”义动词已消失。语法功能逐渐增强,语义具有多功能性。部分语言的语法化程度相对较低,但趋势相同。该现象是语言的区域类型共性,具有较高的平衡性,是语言语法扩散的结果。

The paper discusses the grammatical structure and word order types of place prepositions in ethnic languages in the Southern part of China.The paper holds that these place prepositions can be categorized into five types,namely start prepositions,end prepositions,passing prepositions,location prepositions and direction prepositions,and they present two types of word orders with the proposition standing before or after the verb,that is,“V-PP”and“PP-V”.In terms of origin,these prepositions are derived from grammaticalized notional verbs.In the process of transformation,which is one-directional and gradual,the notional verbs are turned into place propositions through desemanticization,categorization,metaphor,and so on.The end proposition“to”comes from the verb with the same meaning,and there are only two stages for its grammaticalization,that is,from“verb”to“place proposition”.The location proposition“at”comes from the verb with the same meaning,but there are four stages in its development:that is,from the verb with the meaning“to live”to the verb with the meaning“to exist/to have”,then to a place proposition,and finally to a marker of progressive aspect.But for some other languages,the verb with the meaning“to live”has died out,and therefore the transformation path is reduced to only a two-stage process:from the verb with the meaning“to exist”to a place proposition.In this process,their grammatical function becomes greater,and their semantic function becomes wider.Even though the grammaticalization degree of different languages varies,the tendency is the same.This is a linguistic regional commonality with a high degree of equilibrium,and is the result of the proliferation of language grammars.