[Lingtyp] query: "come here" > "hey" grammaticalization in spoken and sign language

[David Gil]

Dear Chao,

Thanks for this very interesting example.  But I would be interested to
know whether Mandarin *lái* can also be used to attract the interlocutor's
attention in cases not involving the proposal of a subsequent joint
activity.  For example, I wonder whether it can be used in the sentence "
*Lái* it is raining".

(In Hebrew, simple "come" cannot be used non-literally in such a context,
whereas "come here" can.)

Best wishes,

David

On Mon, Sep 2, 2024 at 3:55 PM Chao Li <chao.li at aya.yale.edu> wrote:

> Dear David,
>
>
>
> Thank you for your observation of this interesting phenomenon. I believe
> that Mandarin 来 lái (‘to come’ when used as a verb) is related to what
> you requested. (Particularly when the speaker intends to invite the
> addressee(s) to jointly participate in the action expressed by the verb in
> the remaining part of the utterance), he or she, to draw the addressee(s)’
> attention, may use  来 or 来来来 at the beginning of a Chinese utterance (two
> 来’s in a row for this use appear to be less common; others may correct me
> if my intuition is wrong here). I didn’t gloss 来 in the following
> examples, but its vocative function appears to be clear.
>
>
>
> (1)    来，再唱一遍。
>
>          Lái,   zài       chàng   yí      biàn.
>
>                   again    sing     one   time
>
> ‘Hey, let’s sing it one more time!’ or ‘Hey, please sing it one more
> time.’ (depending on the   context)
>
>
>
> (2)    来，唱一遍给我们听听。
>
>          Lái,   chàng   yí      biàn     gěi    wǒmen   tīngtīng.
>
>                   sing     one     time     for    us            listen
>
>          ‘Hey, please sing it for us.’
>
>
>
> (3)    来来来，咱们好好看看。
>
>          Lái lái lái, zánmen   hǎohǎo       kànkàn.
>
>                            we          carefully    watch/examine/study
>
>          ‘Hey, let’s examine it carefully!’
>
>
>
> (4)    来来来，再敬你一杯!
>
>          Lái lái lái, zài       jìng                           nǐ      yì
>      bēi!
>
>                            again   respectfully.offer     you   one   cup
>
>          ‘Hey, another toast to you!’
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Chao
>
> On Sat, Aug 31, 2024 at 4:20 PM David Gil via Lingtyp <
> lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org> wrote:
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>>
>>
>> I am interested in an apparent path of grammaticalization in which an
>> expression meaning "come here" is reinterpreted as an exclamation whose
>> effect seems to be to draw the interlocutor's attention to the speaker.  I
>> am familiar with two such cases and would like to know if any of you happen
>> to be familiar with others.
>>
>>
>>
>> The first is from Hebrew, in which *bo hena* (come.IMP.2SGM here),
>> reduced to *boena*, may be used to begin an utterance, with an effect
>> rather like English *hey*, as in
>>
>>
>>
>> Boena yored gešem
>>
>> BOENA descend.PRS.SGM rain
>>
>> 'Hey it's raining'
>>
>>
>>
>> The reduced nature of the form is often reflected by its orthographic
>> representation as a single word: בוא הנה > בואנה.
>>
>>
>>
>> The second case is from the home sign used by a single deaf child and his
>> hearing friends in Sorong, on the western tip of New Guinea.  The
>> signers make use of a "come here" gesture that is widespread in many parts
>> of the world, in which the hand is extended forward with the palm facing
>> downward, and then makes one or more sweeping downward motions,
>> iconically suggesting movement from the interlocutor to the signer.  However,
>> in this usage, the same gesture is used not to mean "come here", but rather
>> to attract the interlocutor's attention, as a prelude to a further signed
>> message.
>>
>>
>>
>> I would appreciate any other examples you might be familiar with of
>> similar paths of grammaticalization derived from "come here", in either
>> spoken or signed language.  For what it's worth, Heine and Kuteva's
>> (2002) *World Lexicon of Grammaticalization* provides examples of COME >
>> HORTATIVE grammaticalization, which is perhaps in the same ballpark, but
>> not quite the same thing.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>>
>>
>> David
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> David Gil
>>
>> Senior Scientist (Associate)
>> Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
>> Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
>> Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
>>
>> Email: dapiiiiit at gmail.com
>> Mobile Phone (Israel): +972-526117713
>> Mobile Phone (Indonesia): +62-082113720302
>>
>>
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>>
>

-- 

David Gil

Senior Scientist (Associate)
Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany

Email: dapiiiiit at gmail.com
Mobile Phone (Israel): +972-526117713
Mobile Phone (Indonesia): +62-082113720302
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