The lexicon in syntactic change: Lexical diffusion in Chinese syntax
语法演变中的词汇：汉语语法的词汇扩散
Anne Yue-Hashimoto 余霭芹

Abstract 摘要
Both documented and ongoing evidence in Pekinese, the Southern Min dialects and the Yue dialects of Chinese were presented as examples for language contact as a major actuation factor of syntactic change and for lexical diffusion as a major type of syntactic change. The emergence of the V-neg-V(P) question form in these dialects since as early as the mid 16th century (S. Min), late 19th century (Yue) or early 20th century (Pekinese) follows the route of first appearing with high-frequency verbs such as the copula, and/or the existential/possessive verb, then gradually spreading to the optative verbs, and finally to other types of verbs. While the exit of the old form may follow different routes, a revised two-dimensional view of ‘competing change’ can easily account for the differences.

本文以北京话，闽南话及粤语为例，说明语言接触是语法演变的一大因素，词汇扩散又是语法变迁的重要方式。V-不-V（P）型问句早在十六世纪已潜入闽南话，十九世纪兴起于粤语及北京话，都是与官话接触的结果。渗透过程，循着一定的途径：首先出现于动词是最常用词–系词、动词“有” –的句子，次及能愿动词，后及他类动词。旧句型先从动词是最常用词的句式退出，路线跟新句型的渗入相同；但有些方言–例如北京话–旧句型最后残留于动词是最常用的句式，路线跟新句型的渗入相反。因此，词汇的常用与非常用在语法演变中起决定的作用；而语法演变不一定是单轨的新旧句型的逐步取代，换句话说，新句型侵入的同时，旧句型不一定立刻被淘汰。新旧句型的生存竞争，各循独立途径，必须以双轨方式解释，才能阐明其所以然。

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