新加坡华语中的“跟”的不同用法及其来源 : 一个方言接触的案例考察 = THE DIFFERENT USAGES OF "GEN" IN SINGAPORE MANDARIN AND THEIR ORIGIN : A CASE STUDY ON DIALECTAL CONTACT

Abstract

It is undeniable that there lie differences in the system of Standard Mandarin, that is, Mandarin used in Mainland China, and the system of Singapore Mandarin. This paper picks out a specific morpheme, "gen55", and discusses the usages of this morpheme in Singapore Mandarin that are different from its usage in Standard Mandarin. The morpheme "gen55" is a comitative preposition, yet it can be used as a benefactive marker in Singapore Mandarin. This usage is not attested for in Standard Mandarin and remains a peculiar subject as to how it could have emerged. This paper draws from the findings of Phua (2009), which described four main usages of '"gen55" in Singapore Mandarin, which are different from its usage in Standard Mandarin: (i) benefactive marker; (ii) malefactive marker; (iii) used in imperative sentences as a benefactive marker and (iv) pre-transitive marker. Through qualitative analysis based on examples found in television variety shows and daily conversations, it is found that although these four usages are valid, the frequency of occurrences varies amongst the different usages. As more attention has been placed on benefactive markers in the field of typological studies, this paper sees a need to further split benefactive markers into three subcategories: (i) recipient benefactive; (ii) plain benefactive and (iii) deputative benefactive. As the ancestors of Chinese Singaporeans came from the southern parts of China, it is conceivable that the Mandarin dialects that they spoke influenced how Singapore Mandarin is used today. Hence, the paper takes reference from the systems of Mandarin dialects like Cantonese and Hokkien, hoping that this may shed some light upon how the unique usages of "gen55" in Singapore Mandarin could have emerged. Through comparisons between Singapore Mandarin and Cantonese and Hokkien, the paper comes to a conclusion that the unique usages of "gen55" in Singapore Mandarin could have arose from the influence of both Cantonese and Hokkien ， but "gen55"'s pre-transitive usage could point towards Hokkien as having a stronger influence on the emergence of the unique usages of "gen55".