A Study on the Causative Expressions of"Do"Verbs and Their Grammaticalization in the Kam-Tai Languages
The Kam-Tai languages have rich"NP1+V1+NP2+V2"pivotal constructions.In such a construction,there is a mismatch between the"do"verb in V1 position and the constituent of NP2.This mismatch,coupled with the semantic constraints exerted by other words and the construction as a whole,weakens the action meaning of the"do"verbs and downgrades them to minor verbs.Due to this semantic reduction and causativization process,the"do"verbs acquire the causative meaning derived from this construction.Differences in the semantic properties of NP1 lead to the formation of typical combinative causatives,atypical combinative causatives,typical causatives and atypical causatives.Therefore,the"do"verbs undergo respective grammaticalization to become general causative verbs,quasi-causative markers and pure causative markers.As NP2 and NP3 are co-referential,they need to be superimposed onto one another during spatial integration and only one of them is retained.The prototype then evolves into post-intensifying combinative causatives and pre-intensifying combinative causatives;moreover,due to the interposition of the markers of ba把 and bei 被,etc.,the post-intensifying and the pre-intensifying combinative causatives further evolve into intensified causative constructions,as a result of which the"do"verbs are grammatically transformed into intensifying causative markers.
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