The Comparative Construction (Differential Comparison) in Naxi and the Typological Classification of the ci21 Comparative Construction
This paper by Lü Shanshan and Mu Yanjuan gives a fieldwork-based description of differential-comparison ("comparative of superiority") constructions in the Gucheng dialect of Naxi in Lijiang, and classifies them within the typological frameworks of Stassen (1985) and Heine (1997). Naxi has two comparative strategies: a preferred postpositional construction marked by the standard marker ci21, and a secondary adverbial construction (basic, complex-sentence, and topic subtypes) built on degree adverbs like "more." The authors trace ci21 to the locative noun "on top, above," rejecting a prior claim that its origin is unclear. They argue ci21's standard-marking function developed not directly from the locative sense but through an intermediate allative ("to/toward") stage: locative noun > allative marker > standard marker. On this basis they classify the ci21 construction under Heine's Goal Schema (Stassen's allative type), supported by comparison with other Tibeto-Burman languages and grammaticalization theory.
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