Although there have
been various studies on the Chinese ba-construction,
this article presents some unconventional views. Most studies do not treat ba as a verb. This article argues that ba is a verb, although it has some
non-typical verbal properties. Firstly, the argument establishes that it is a
verb based upon the “gradient” analysis, which has not been applied to ba before. Secondly, having been treated
as a verb, ba shows special
properties of its own such as marking subordination. Apart from this
non-traditional view, ba is shown to
be highly transitive, which is also a verbal feature. Different from previous
analyses, this article argues that ba is
a radial category showing various associated meanings. Finally, ba is shown to produce blending with
other verb complements, such as the resultative construction, through its ability
to create mental spaces.
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