The Function of Modifiers in the Formation of New Words: The Case of Words Denoting Soap

Abstract

Using the methodology of linguistic geography, this paper analyzes the function of the modifier yang (洋) in the formation of words that denote “soap” in modern Chinese dialects. Yang is added to the heads of existing word forms as the distinctive component, on which occasion the existing word form and the new word are situated in binary opposition. The degree of fixity of yang-type word forms is related to the necessity of distinction and word structure; the use of yang is sometimes maintained in areas where the two analogous yang-type word forms are adjacently distributed.