Abstract
This study explores the semantic and the syntactic status of ba in the Chinese ba-construction from a systemic functional perspective. At the level of meaning, ba functions as the Process element in the transitivity structure of the overall construction, and delivers an influential meaning. This means that the ba-construction involves a dominant and a dependent process. The dominant process is a configuration of a Participant Role (PR, hereafter), the influential Process element and another PR, and the influential Process element is expressed in the word ba. At the level of form, ba is the Predicator element in the syntactic structure of the overall construction. It indicates that the ba-construction involves a ranking and an embedded clause at the primary and the secondary level, respectively. The ranking clause is composed of the Subject, Predicator and Complement elements, and the Predicator element is expounded by the word ba.
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