An example of contact-induced grammaticalization - The origins and division of labor of three complement markers in the she language

This paper aims to trace the origins and reconstruct the path of grammaticalization of three complement markers, namely, k ⁵⁴, tu ¹¹ and li ²², in the She language, a Hmong-Mien language spoken by around 1,500 people in the mountainous areas of eastern Guangdong. It is pointed out that the neighboring Chinese dialects, especially Hakka and Southern Min, have played important roles in shaping the mode of division of labor of these three complement markers in She. Various theories of grammaticalization, including the newly developed contact-induced grammaticalization, are introduced to explain the parallel development of complement markers in southern Chinese dialects and She.