“左右”的词汇化与语法化

The Lexicalization and Grammaticalization of “Left and Right”

“左右”是由两个语义相反的名词语素“左”和“右”连用为方位并列短语而来,通过转喻进一步固化成词,又经历了名词–动词–助词–副词这样的语法化过程。学术界已有研究“左右”的相关论文或专著,但基本都将重点放在对于“左”“右”的语义考察及文化内涵上,如李都荣的“浅谈汉语方位词的文化象征意义”,还有一些学者聚焦于“左右”的语法化与主观化及其动因机制,如李爽的“语气副词‘左右’的语法化及动因机制”,另外,还有一部分学者研究了对外汉语教学中的反义复合词“左右”,投入到了实际教学领域,如崔金园的“基于对外汉语教学的反义复合词研究”。本文主要分析了“左右”从名词到动词,再到助词和副词的语法化演变,从历时角度梳理出反义复合词“左右”的词汇化和语法化演变过程,从中找出动因和机制,以丰富对“左右”的研究。The phrase “left-right” is formed by combining two semantically opposite noun morphemes, “left” and “right”, as a directional parallel phrase. It is further solidified into a word through metaphor and undergoes a grammaticalization process of noun verb particle adverb. There have been academic papers or monographs on the study of “left and right”, but most of them focus on the semantic examination and cultural connotations of “left” and “right”, such as Li Dourong’s “A Brief Discussion on the Cultural Symbolic Significance of Chinese Directional Words”. Some scholars also focus on the grammaticalization and subjectification of “left and right” and their causal mechanisms, such as Li Shuang’s “The grammaticalization and causal mechanism of the modal adverb ‘left and right’”. In addition, some scholars have studied the antonym compound word “left and right” in teaching Chinese as a foreign language and invested it in practical teaching fields, such as Cui Jinyuan’s “Research on antonym compound words based on teaching Chinese as a foreign language”. This article mainly analyzes the grammaticalization evolution of “left-right” from a noun to a verb, and then to particles and adverbs. From a diachronic perspective, it sorts out the lexicalization and grammaticalization evolution process of the antonym compound word “left-right”, identifies the motives and mechanisms, and enriches the research on “left-right”.