The Research On The "X Bi(比) Y Adverb W" Structure In Chinese Double-Marker Incremental Comparison

The research on "X Bi(比)Y Dou(都)W" "X Bi(比)Y Geng(更)W" "X Bi(比)Y Hai(还)W" has always been the subject of academic attention,and the category of "comparison" has always been the focus of Chinese research.The existing solution to the question of the relationship between the three one in Chinese remains to be perfected.Based on the existing results,this paper will further analyze and discuss these problems.This article first analyzes the nature of "incremental comparison" in Chinese,the specific types of meanings,and the main forms of marked expression,we establish the theoretical support of this paper on the basis of identification and applicability investigation.It is believed that when the object being compared in the "general comparison" is already in a higher(or very high)magnitude in its comparison domain,and there is a magnitude difference,it constitutes an "incremental comparison",and the "incremental comparison" can not only reveal the difference in magnitude of the object being compared,but also reflect the magnitude of the object being compared itself,and highlight very high magnitude nature of the object "X" in the category being compared.It is proposed that the category of "incremental comparison" consist of two categories: "subjective incremental comparison" and "objective incremental comparison",which could be further subdivided on the basis of the subcategories of "comparison" We preliminary examined the marked forms in Chinese for expressing "incremental comparison" from ancient times to the present.Based on the number of "incremental comparison markers",they can be divided into three categories:single-marker,double-marker,and multiple-marker.It is explicitly stated that the research object of this article is the "X Bi(比)Y adverb W" structure in the double-marker incremental comparison.It is considered that the construction of"X Bi(比)Y adverb W"is the main form of"incremental comparison"in Chinese,which can express all the meaning classes of"incremental comparison".This construction consists of the framework"…Bi(比)…adverb…"and the variables"X""Y"and"W".The adverbs that can enter this construction mainly include"Dou(都)""Geng(更)"and"Hai(还)",and there also appear"Beijia(倍加/加倍)""Fenwai(分外)""Shen(甚)""Yujia(愈加)""Yue(越/越发)""You(尤)"and"You(又)".There are two positions for adverbs to enter:one is between"X"and"Bi(比)",which turns into the form"X adverb Bi(比)Y W",and the other is between"Bi(比)"and"Y",which appears in the form"X Bi(比)Y adverb W".Among them,"X Bi(比)Y Dou(都)W""X Bi(比)Y Geng(更)W""X Bi(比)Y Hai(还)W"are typical members of the"X Bi(比)Y adverb W"family of double-marker incremental comparison structures in Chinese.They can express all types of meanings in Chinese"incremental comparison"when used together.They overlap in usage but also have distinct and respective roles.They also have different meaning functions,and each member has its own primary function and other secondary functions.We believe that under the same semantic function,they are also in a "similar yet different" relationship,with the main difference being the different levels of subjectivity.They form a subjective hierarchy from strong to weak with "X Bi(比)Y Dou(都)W" "X Bi(比)Y Geng(更)W" "X Bi(比)Y Hai(还)W" respectively.We examined the main manifestations of the subjective differences among the three in terms of semantics,pragmatics,and syntax,and pointed out that the semantic differences in adverbs are a critical factor in the formation of their functional differentiation.In addition,the differences in their formation time and developmental path also play a role.Furthermore,we also examined the diachronic evolution of other forms of "X Bi(比)Y adverb W" besides "X Bi(比)Y Dou(都)W" "X Bi(比)Y Geng(更)W" and "X Bi(比)Y Hai(还)W",and summarized the historical development course of "X Bi(比)Y adverb W" from the aspects of formal change and functional expansion.Based on the development of the "X Bi(比)Y adverb W" structure and its internal members,we divided its formal changes into three stages:the germination stage in the Tang and Song dynasties,the development and formation stage roughly from the Song dynasty to the Qing dynasty,and the stage of diversified development from the Qing dynasty to the present day.In terms of semantic function,the functions of expressing incremental difference and incremental extreme comparison of "X Bi(比)Y adverb W" are separately developed,both of which are generally from objective to subjective.Later,the expressions of subjective incremental difference and incremental extreme comparison interacted with each other,and the usage of "X Bi(比)Y adverb W" expressing subjective incremental difference developed into expressing subjective incremental extreme comparison,while the usage of "X Bi(比)Y adverb W" expressing subjective incremental extreme comparison developed into expressing subjective incremental difference.Eventually,we explored the mechanism and reasons for the evolution of "X Bi(比)Y adverb W".