On the Lexicalization and Grammaticalization ofthe Chinese Word “Yijiu”

In late Tang Dynasty at the latest, the “verb + object” phrase “yijiu” was lexicalized, and solidified into a verb, meaning “be the same as before”. Its lexicalization was motivated by prosody, grouping psychology and frequent use. In addition, the verb “yijiu” will meet its grammaticalization in serial verb construction “yijiu + verb”. In such construction, the word as a verb “yijiu” is weakened. The semantic component -changed is striking, and semantic focus moves backward. Therefore, such serial verb construction can be re-analyzed into a construction “adverbial + center”, hence the word “yijiu” becomes an adverb indicating time.