Grammaticalization of ‘give’ in Hui varieties of Chinese: A Typological and Areal Perspective (Ref: LC-2021-244(E)) (HK$31,688)

The multi-functions of the morpheme ‘give’ have been studied extensively in the world’s languages. Apart from a lexical word, the morpheme ‘give’ can also function in an array of occasions as a recipient marker, a benefactive marker, a permissive marker, a passive marker, a purpose marker, etc. (Kuteva et. al. 2019: 192- 203). With reference to Chinese languages, literature on the grammaticaliation of ‘give’ usually takes the form of the grammaticalization pathways of a particular Chinese language (Chen 2009, Chin 2011, among others), or the GIVE type of passive marker as a parameter for the North-South Divide among Sinitic languages (Hashimoto 1976, Norman 1988, Chappell 2015, Szeto 2019).
As an addition to the above research, this proposed study aims to provide a typological analysis of the multi-functions of the ‘GIVE’ morpheme in a lesser-known Central variety of Sinitic languages - the Hui group of Chinese 徽語, including around 20 datapoints comprising five subgroups of Hui varieties. Making use of both primary and secondary data including reference grammars and dictionaries, we plan to find out:
(1) Whether the following functions of the ‘give’ morpheme can be identified in Hui Chinese varieties:
(i) Lexical verb ‘give’;
(ii) Recipient marker ‘to’;
(iii) Beneficiary marker ‘for’
(iv) Permissive marker;
(v) Passive marker;
(vi) Disposal pretransitive marker;
(vii) Purpose marker;
(viii) Allative marker ‘towards’, and;
(viiii) Time marker ‘till’.
(2) The plausible grammaticalization pathways/clines, and;
(3) Whether there is an areal distribution of such functions.

It is hoped that combined analysis of the multi-functions of GIVE in Hui varieties of Chinese will help shed light on the little-studied Hui Chinese languages themselves, the areal typology of grammaticalization, as well as categorization of ‘linguistic areas’ in China.