Inclusion of the outsider - grammaticalization of the verbal particle maai in Cantonese

Abstract

This paper explores the grammaticalization of the verbal particle maai in Cantonese. Originally a verb of movement meaning ‘approach/get close to’ a reference point, maai has undergone grammaticalization to become a directional particle meaning ‘towards’. It then developed into an additive quantifier meaning ‘also/as well’, and has further been reinterpreted as an evaluative marker, marking the speaker’s negative evaluation of the object of the verb to which maai is suffixed. A number of pragmatic processes are involved in maai’s grammaticalization, in particular pragmatic inferencing and subjectification. The evolutionary pathway ‘addition’ > ‘subjective evaluation’ is attested by historical data and is also supported by cross-linguistic evidence. 本文探討粵語助詞「埋」的語法化過程。「埋」作為趨向動詞表示「接近」、「靠攏」。通過語法化過程，「埋」成為一個表「朝向」的方向助詞，附於動詞後。其後，「埋」發展成有量化功能的助詞，表「附加」，並進一步語法化為賦有主觀色彩評價的標記，表明說話人對句中的直接賓語持負面評價。「埋」的語法化過程中涉及數個語用機制，包括語用推斷(pragmatic inferencing)及主觀化(subjectification)。本文認為「埋」有「附加」>「主觀評價」的語義演化途徑，這獲歷時語料所證實，亦有跨語言的證據所支持。