从语序演变看汉语数量结构的性质与句法功能的历史发展——从“长六米”到“六米长”

The Nature and Development of Structures and Syntactic Functions of Quantifier in Chinese from the Perspective of the Evolution of Word Order: From “Chang Liumi” to “Liumi Chang”

摘要: 现代汉语中“六米长”的“长”应当是表示量度的名词。“数词+单位词+量度词”的结构产生于六朝时期,是在汉语作为“修饰语+中心语”这一语言面貌的前提下,对古代汉语原有的“量度词+数词+单位词”结构做出的语序调整。在篇章中,“数词+单位词”在语义上有用作定语的潜力,其前移增强了整个结构用作定语的能力,这在明清时期得到长足发展,并延续到现代汉语中。

Abstract: In Modern Chinese, chang in 六米长 (liumi chang) is understood as a noun indicating measurement. The structure of shuci (number 数词) + danweici (words indicating measurement units单位词) + liangduci (words of measurements量度词) emerged during the period of Six Dynasties. It was a reordering of the original structure in ancient Chinese, which followed the pattern of liangduci (words of measurements) + shuci (number) + danweici (words indicating measurement units), under the linguistic framework of Chinese as a “modifier + head”. Within a discourse, the structure of shuci (number) + danweici (words indicating measurement units), carries the potential to function as an attributive modifier, and its fronting enhances its ability to serve as an attributive. This adjustment gained significant development during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and had remained in modern Chinese.