A Study on the Degree Adverb “zei” in Chinese Northeast Dialect

Abstract

Language is the supreme tool for people to express their thoughts, the link to maintain the nation, and the treasure house of history. Dialects are the important sources of the continuous enrichment of a nation’s vocabulary, providing fresh nutrients for the enrichment and development of the vocabulary of the language. This study analyses the usage of the degree adverb “zei” ( ) in a Chinese Northeast Dialect from the aspects of syntactic distribution, semantic characteristics and pragmatic functions. Syntactically, “zei” is used to modify verbs, nouns and adjectives. However, there are special requirements for the structure and meaning of the words after it. Semantically, “zei” can be used as a noun, verb, adjective and adverb in the ancient and modern Chinese, but usually contains derogatory meanings. However, when used in the northeast dialect, it can play a role in adjusting the degree, and can modify words with both commentary and derogatory meanings. Pragmatically, “zei” can be used for exaggerating feelings and emotions and highlighting the focus of the topic. The study is helpful to promote the development of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, so that teachers and students can deeply understand the diversity of the language itself and accurately use these words.