英文摘要 |
This paper illustrates the usages of neutral questions in Quanzhou-accented Southern Min with data collected from Hsinchu, Kinmen, and Tongan. The typical usage of neutral question in Southern Min varies from one area to another. The major neutral question type used in Tainan is kam-VP, while the most common type in Hsinchu is VP-neg instead. Our investigation reveals that VP-neg construction is the main stream for neutral questions in Quanzhou-accented dialects, and there shows a tendency for the various sentence-final negators (m, bue, bo, and be) in VP-neg construction to merge into a single one (bo) in all of these dialects, though at a different speed. Kam-VP used as neutral question is detected in Hsinchu and Kinmen, yet it is hardly observed in Tongan area; the change rate of each dialect varies with its geographical distances from Zhangzhou-accented areas and with its general communication frequencies with Southern Min speakers from other areas. |