37.987, Books: The Development of the Chinese Cleft Construction: Zhan (2026)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-987. Wed Mar 11 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.987, Books: The Development of the Chinese Cleft Construction: Zhan (2026)

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Date: 10-Mar-2026
From: Karin Plijnaar [karin.plijnaar at benjamins.nl]
Subject: The Development of the Chinese Cleft Construction: Zhan (2026)


Title: The Development of the Chinese Cleft Construction
Subtitle: A diachronic constructional approach
Series Title: Constructional Approaches to Language   41
Publication Year: 2026

Publisher: John Benjamins
           http://www.benjamins.com/
Book URL: https://benjamins.com/catalog/cal.41

Author(s): Fangqiong Zhan

eBook ISBN:  9789027243980 Pages:  225 Price: Europe EURO 125.00
eBook ISBN:  9789027243980 Pages:  225 Price: U.K. £ 105.00
eBook ISBN:  9789027243980 Pages:  225 Price: U.S. $ 163.00
Hardback ISBN:  9789027233905 Pages:  225 Price: Europe EURO 125.00
Hardback ISBN:  9789027233905 Pages:  225 Price: Europe EURO 132.50
Hardback ISBN:  9789027233905 Pages:  225 Price: U.K. £ 105.00
Hardback ISBN:  9789027233905 Pages:  225 Price: U.S. $ 163.00

Abstract:

This book explores the development of the Chinese cleft construction
through the lens of Diachronic Construction Grammar. Focusing on shi
as an invariant copula, it examines the VP de cleft, the V de O cleft,
and the bare shi cleft, showing how each signals contrastive and
specificational meaning. Tracing their origins from the copular
construction in Middle Chinese, the study reveals distinct
developmental paths and semantic-pragmatic uses for each cleft type.
Offering the first diachronic constructional analysis of Chinese cleft
sentences, it sheds light on the evolution of focus structures, the
expansion of constructional networks, and the typology of focus
devices across languages, making a key contribution to historical
linguistics and Chinese grammar research.

Written In: English (eng)



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LINGUIST List: Vol-37-987
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