A Study On"Bu Jiu X(MA)?" Structure

The usage frequency of the "Bu jiu X (ma)?" structure which is the commonly used expression forms of the contemporary Chinese is high; however the structure is given less systematic research by the academic circle. Guided by the three planes theory (syntax, semantics and pragmatics), and integrated using the theories of Construction Grammar and grammaticalization, this paper analyses the components, the semantics and pragmatics of the structure, makes a comparison with the adjacent structural types, and studies on the diachronic development of the structural.The thesis includes six chapters:Chapter1:exordium.This part of the paper mainly clarifies the research object of this article, reviews the previous studies, states the significance and the innovations of this paper, and describes the research methods and the origin of the language materials.Chapter2:analysis of the structure.This part of the paper respectively describes the constant part of structure "Jiu" and the variable part "X". In this structure,"Jiu" indicates a meaning of "immediately","ensure" or "limitation", while it has a pragmatic function of "cohesion-limit control"; The syntactic component of "X" can be NP, VP, or omitted, which has a pragmatic function of indicating "achieve" or "ownership".Chapter3:research on semantic and pragmatic level about the structure."Bu jiu X (ma)?" Structure is a "figure-ground " mode of highlights. The constructional meaning can be stated as the speaker subjectively expresses the gative meaning in a negative way, that is, expresses the assertion on the rationality or limitedness of something."Bu jiu X (ma)?" is a negative and rhetorical question structure, of which "jiu" is a quantitative adverbs, and "jiu X" is a bounded component, which makes "Bu jiu X" indicates a semantic reversal. The fundamental cause of a structure indicating rhetorical question is that the speaker considers the listener reacting vaguer, which can be called ratio error, and the value of difference decides the intention of rhetorical question. The basic function of the structure is to emphasis, and in a specific context to express the contradictory attitude in varying degrees.Chapter4:comparison with the adjacent structure.This part of the paper compares the structure "Bu jiu X(ma)?" with "Bu shi X (ma)?""Bu shi jiu X (ma)?""Bu jiu shi X (ma)?". Based on the analysis of linguistic data, a conclusion can be made that "bu" in the structure is a negative adverb, which denies the previous views which regard "shi" as an omission."Bu jiu X (ma)?" contains "Bu jiu shi X (ma)?", which is a negative rhetorical question structure sorted out from the rhetorical questions "Bu X (ma)?" and paralleled with "Bu shi X (ma)?"Chapter5:research on the diachronic development of the structure."Bu jiu X (ma)?" integrates "jiu X" with the rhetorical question mode "Bu X?" which was formed in the pre-Qin period."Bu jiu shi NP/VP (ma)?" was emerged in Ming dynasty. This structure became a mature construction during the period of Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. The grammaticalization of "jiu shi" of the structure "Bu jiu shi X (ma)?" leads to the formation of "Bu jiu X (ma)?", which is one paths of the diachronic development. The other one and the main one is that the development of "jiu" and the integration in "Bu X(ma)?" combined with "X".The collocation expressions used such as "qi","ke","hai" in the early stage of development, and the limited development of the negative expression "Bu jiu X" are two main factors working on the coagulation degree of the structure.Chapter6:concluding remarks.The chapter is the summary of the paper.