Abstract
The paper mainly focuses on examining the two major types of tit 4 constructions in interaction with preverbal positive or negative modals in Southern Min texts in a diachronic perspective, (1) oe 7 /boe 7 + V + tit 4 + V + and (2) Neg (modal) + tit 4 . The finding of the present endeavor is that the complex dynamic modal oe 7 /boe 7 -hiau 2 -tit 4 and the complex deontic modals oe 7 /boe 7 -sai 2 -tit 4 as well as oe 7 /boe 7 -eng 7 -tit 4 have emerged as a result of grammaticalization in modern Taiwanese Southern Min from the first type of tit 4 constructions attested in earlier Southern Min texts. For Neg (modal) + tit 4 as the second major type of tit 4 constructions, I argue for the hybrid nature of Ming and Qing playscripts and a distinction between pu ?5 t 5 as an alien modal and boe 7 -tit 4 as a native modal is drawn on the strength of dialectal and colloquial textual evidence. The preverbal pu ?5 t 5 in its function of circumstantial dynamic modal is shown to be inherited from the Jianghuai dialect. The native preverbal boe 7 -tit 4 also takes on the similar modal function. A noteworthy fact about the evolution of tit 4 constructions is that there is a competition between preverbal modals and the postverbal tit 4 in favour of the former since the latter is subject to formal attrition.