Grammaticalization of a new aspect marker in Hong Kong writtenChinese

Abstract

This paper investigates the grammaticalization of an emerging progressive marker zeon3hang4in Hong Kong Written Chinese from a synchronic perspective, accompanied with a preliminary analysis of its possible origin.

First, attempts were made to identify the lexical source of zeon3hang4. Unlike most other progressives having a locative origin, it is argued that zeon3hang4came from a verb meaning ‘(be) in progress’, which makes it an atypical type of progressive marker.

Secondly, the degree of grammaticalization of zeon3hang4 was examined by finding out the scope and conditions of the use of the marker. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were involved. An acceptability judgment task, based on the model of Flecken (2011), was administered to explore the perceived constraints and preferences of zeon3hang4by the native speakers. A post-questionnaire interview was conducted on selected participants to understand their views on zeon3hang4.

In the judgment task, four hypotheses concerning temporal contexts, situations types, thematic roles and age groups were tested. Results show thatzeon3hang4is anchored mainly in here-and-now contexts and is most compatible in situations with dynamic predicates. Also, the thematic role of the subject is found to be the most determining variable for the adoption of zeon3hang4, in which subject as patient is highly favorable for the marker. As for age-related differences, the middle group is discovered to be least likely to apply zeon3hang4.

In the interview, it is revealed that participants associated zeon3hang4with formal register. Moreover, subjects admitted that token frequency was crucial for affecting their attitudes towards the adoption of the marker in certain contexts.