Beyond Plural Marker: A new Approach to the Nature of -Men们 in Linxia Dialect

摘要:本文以临夏话中指称唯一性事物名词以及不可数名词后加"们"等 非复数用法为切入点，重新分析了临夏话"们"的性质。"们"除了 可表复数，还可以表约量、尊敬、整体、强调等，这些功能与阿尔泰 语系突厥语族语言密切相关，是语言接触的结果。"们"不是单纯的 复数标记，也不是无语义的词缀或话题标记，其语义丛核心是表达 "大"义，本文将它处理成"大称"标记。大称标记与复数标记相关， 这一发现具有语言类型学的价值。ABSTRACT:After investigating the usages of -men in Linxia Dialect. It is found that -men in Linxia dialect is not only used to express plurality, but also approximation, respect, exaggeration and so on. These semantics are consistent with the uses of the plural marker in Altaic Turkic family. We believe that the special usages in Linxia dialect are the result of language contact. Different from previous scholars who think that -men is a plural marker, a meaningless affix or a topic marker, we argue that the core semantics of -men in Linxia dialect is to express "bigness". We regard it as an augmentative marker.