On the Grammatical Meaning of Reduplication as Seen from 'Reduplicative' Character Formation in Dongba Script—With a Discussion of Chinese Verb Reduplication
This paper compares reduplication as a character-formation device in Naxi Dongba pictographic script with reduplication as a grammatical device in the Naxi language, then extends the discussion to the puzzle of Chinese verb reduplication. Surveying Dongba characters, the authors identify reduplication used to build specific numerals, express plurality, depict continuous or 'montage'-style action, intensify degree, mark reciprocal relationships, and achieve visual symmetry. They then show that Naxi grammatical reduplication (of adjectives, verbs, nouns, and numeral-classifier phrases) expresses parallel meanings -- intensified degree, reciprocity, continuation, plurality, and distributive reference -- arguing both domains follow a shared cognitive principle of 'quantitative iconicity,' where repeated form mirrors repeated meaning. Applying this to Chinese, the authors argue that the modern Mandarin VV verb-reduplication pattern (expressing a brief, tentative action) is not true reduplication but a V1V2 verb-complement structure historically distinct from, though convergent with, the V-yi-V pattern; true reduplication expressing continuation survives instead in forms like V-a-V-a and V-zhe-V-zhe.
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