A Study on the Construction of"He (何) O Zhi (之) V"in Ancient Chinese
The basic situation of the construction"He(何)O Zhi(之)V"is examined by applying the theory of construction and the theory of metrical grammar.In this structure,"He(何)"is located before object,as a definite article modifying object;"Zhi(之)"is located between object and verb,as a liner with no practical significance."He(何)O Zhi(之)V"as a four-word form has a strong stability,and finally grammaticalized into one construction.The productivity of"He(何)O Zhi(之)V"reached its peak during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods,and then gradually decreased.In modem Chinese,it is mainly utilized in specific historical contexts,such as the literary language,and rarely occurs in other contexts.At the same time,this construction has two pragmatic functions:euphemism and emphasis,which can help the listener understand the speaker's attitude and emotion.
"He (何) O Zhi (之) V"constructionsgrammaticalizationpragmatic functions
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