This chapter is a general investigation of the usage of the imperfective Zhe in NWDs. Zhe in Northwestern Chinese dialects is used to express not only the imperfective meanings that the Standard Mandarin zhe can express, but also many other imperfective meanings. Moreover, Zhe in Northwestern Chinese dialects can co-occur with almost all types of VPs. These phenomena indicate that the imperfective function of Zhe in Northwestern Chinese dialects is highly developed. Zhe has already evolved into a general imperfective marker in Northwestern Chinese dialects, rather than a marker merely for the homogenous imperfective with the restriction of stage-level statives as in Standard Mandarin. This chapter defines more types of imperfective meanings, which demonstrate that the imperfective category encompasses a rich variety of durative events. In Northwestern Chinese, the particle Zhe located at the post-object position has rich array of semantic functions, as it serves not only as an imperfective marker but also as a mood particle and a future tense marker. The data provided here can serve as a reference for future related research.

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The Imperfective Use of Zhe in NWDs

  • Xiaolei Fan

摘要

This chapter is a general investigation of the usage of the imperfective Zhe in NWDs. Zhe in Northwestern Chinese dialects is used to express not only the imperfective meanings that the Standard Mandarin zhe can express, but also many other imperfective meanings. Moreover, Zhe in Northwestern Chinese dialects can co-occur with almost all types of VPs. These phenomena indicate that the imperfective function of Zhe in Northwestern Chinese dialects is highly developed. Zhe has already evolved into a general imperfective marker in Northwestern Chinese dialects, rather than a marker merely for the homogenous imperfective with the restriction of stage-level statives as in Standard Mandarin. This chapter defines more types of imperfective meanings, which demonstrate that the imperfective category encompasses a rich variety of durative events. In Northwestern Chinese, the particle Zhe located at the post-object position has rich array of semantic functions, as it serves not only as an imperfective marker but also as a mood particle and a future tense marker. The data provided here can serve as a reference for future related research.