On the Forms and Grammatical Functions of Affixes in Old Chinese

[[abstract]]In recent years, considerable achievements have been made in Old Chinese research, which is worthy of congratulations. However, previous studies varied in the criteria for selecting Sino-Tibetan cognates and did not come to an agreement eventually. It appeared that cognates could be recognized by only similarity in sounds and meanings as well as phonological correspondence. The present dissertation supposes that xiesheng（諧聲）characters and cognates, as basic material for Old Chinese phonology research, should not only be attached just importance to but also be brought into full play in methodology, although a breakthrough has been made in the comparison of Sino-Tibetan cognates. The dissertation consists of five chapters. The first chapter “Introduction” addresses the research method and steps of the dissertation, briefly review the study of Old Chinese affixes, and summarizes the status of modern research on Old Chinese phonology. The present section attempts to point out that modern research on Old Chinese phonology can be divided into three stages and after a review. Since what are emphasized in the dissertation is the change in concepts and approaches, not merely the difference in views, the three stages that should probably be called three aspects or views remain named stages. The second chapter “Affixes in Old Chinese: From a Word Family Perspective” explores affixes in Old Chinese from the viewpoint of word family. First of all, the dissertation points out that the similarity of sounds and meanings in the phonology level, a necessary but insufficient condition, are not enough to recognize cognates. Therefore, the correct and effective approach is to move up Old Chinese phonology research to the level of morphology, to establish word families with a common root for each group of cognates, and then to reconstruct the phonetic forms of roots and affixes in those word families. After all, the dissertation agrees with that Old Tibetan affixes can be used as a reference for reconstructing Old Chinese affixes. The third chapter “Grammatical Functions of Affixes in Old Chinese” in two aspects analyses and discusses the concrete forms and grammatical functions of affixes in Old Chinese. One is to observe the functions of affixes through their morphological alterations; the other is to treat the changes in functions of affixes and their abilities to build and derive words. As a result, except that the topics such as the grammatical functions of affixes as well as the sounds and meanings of word families can be treated, the research on Old Chinese phonology can be combined with those on morphology and etymology, in order to make achievements that can not turn out in one discipline. The fourth chapter “Morphological Correlation（形態相關）and Reconstruction of the Phonological System in Old Chinese” attempts to reconstruct Old Chinese from the affix morphology perspective. Whatever the establishment of word families or the exploration for the forms and grammatical functions of affixes, research on Old Chinese phonology has to return to the phonology aspect and improve the Old Chinese phonological system by all the research results. Therefore, as for research on Old Chinese phonology, the dissertation adopts the concept of chronological strata to settle later historical phonetic changes, not puts all sounds of words on the same plane. The fifth chapter “Conclusion” draws a conclusion from the studies in the previous four chapters. Besides the research results of the dissertation, the present chapter also indicates the possible directions of future development. Research on Old Chinese (phonology) should not anymore be confined in Chinese internal material, nor is similar-sound xiesheng a satisfying criterion. The argument should be known that a word family consisting of cognates has a common root that determines the relationship in sound and meaning between cognates.