The Origin of Disposal and Passive Constructions with Same Marker in Chinese Dialects——The case of “ba (把)” in the Wuhan Dialect

Abstract

Wuhan dialect (Xi’nan Mandarin) employs the same marker “ba (把)” for both disposal and passive constructions, but their paths of grammaticalization are different. “Ba (把)” denoting disposal derives from the verb “ba (把)” meaning “to take”, which is used in serial verb construction. Passive marker “ba (把)” derives from the verb “ba (把)” meaning “ to give”, which is used in double-object construction, and then becomes a passive marker by causatives. The paper offers an analysis of why many Chinese dialects employ the same marker for their disposal and passive constructions.