近代汉语疑问助词的发展 : 以《三国志平话》、《儒林外史》、《蜗居》为考察对象 = THE EVOLUTION OF INTERROGATIVE PARTICLES IN MODERN CHINESE : A CASE STUDY OF POPULAR STORIES OF THE THREE KINGDOMS (SAN GUO ZHI PING HUA), THE SCHOLARS (RU LIN WAI SHI), DWELLING NARROWNESS (WO JU)

Abstract

Every language has its own way of expressing interrogative tone. In Chinese it is through the use of various interrogative particles in different types of questions. Hence it is important to study and understand the evolution of interrogative particles and how the system has changed throughout the history of Chinese language. In this paper, we are focusing on the evolution of interrogative particles in Modern Chinese and aiming to discover the law of change behind its development. We will describe and analyse the system of interrogative particles in modern Chinese in detail through a case study of the use of interrogative particles in Popular Stories ofthe Three Kingdoms (San Guo Zhi Ping Him), The Scholars (Ru Lin Wai Shi), Dwelling Narrowness (Wo Ju) respectively, by comparing and examining the similarities and differences among their interrogative particles. These three novels were written in three significant periods of Chinese history which play a crucial role in the development of Chinese language. They are the representatives of these times and important for historical inheritance and evolution. Popular Stories ofthe Three Kingdoms (San Guo Zhi Ping Hua) and The Scholars (Ru Lin Wai Shi) are regarded as the symbolic works of the vernacular Chinese. Both reflect the characteristics of the most popular Chinese spoken language in Yuan and Qing and serve as a connecting link between the preceding and the following. While in Dwelling Narrowness (Wo Ju), the use of language represents the features of Chinese language in the modern context.