The Development Of Several Chinese Associated Word In Recent Times

Associated words is very important in Chinese. There are many associated words in modern Chinese. How did they develop in old days? The research about this domain is not satisfying at the present time. The thesis is committed to study the development of several associated words in recent times.The thesis is divided into six chapters. The first chapter is introduction which depicts the production and deficiencies in the existing study of associated words, while explaining the merit of the thesis. The second chapter is to depict the whole characters of the associated words in recent times.The last four chapters are the main part of the thesis.They are to discuss the development of some frondose associated words.The third chapter is to study how "even though" became an associated word. There are two possible tracks,which leaving a question open. The forth chapter is about "but" and "if only". "But" used to have two senses in mediaeval times.One was "but", and the other was "if only". Afterward, the new phrase "if only" appeared and "but" lost this sense. The fifth chapter is to depict the development of a kind of temporat compound sentences, in which "when" became "as soon as". The sixth chapter is to describe the method by which "since" became an associated word. The epilogue of the thesis points out that the development of the associated words is related to the grammaticalization in language.