Analyzing Budai X de from the Perspective of Modality

Abstract

Budai X de originated in dialect grammar but has gradually been accepted in standard Chinese. This study categorized budai X de into two types—jia and yi—and clarified their meanings from the modal perspective. Specifically, jia means to deny the occurrence of expected situation X, and yi means to discourage a listener from doing X. The study also explored the semantic and grammatical features of budai X de, showing that jia expresses a speaker’s attitude toward proposition X (proposition-oriented) and belongs to subjective expression, whereas yi expresses a speaker’s attitude toward the listener (listener-oriented) and belongs to intersubjective expression.