Abstract
In this paper1 I will first explore the issues centering around the evolution of the interrogative word f as a common source into its modern descendants mak 7 and other forms in Hakka. In contrast to the more uniform form in Southern Min, varieties of Hakka boast more variants such as mak 7 , ma? 7 and man3. Such a variation can be accounted for in terms of minor regional difference as well as types of phonological process. The retention of the bilabial nasal initial of the word as a reflex of the Middle Chinese ^ phonological category in Hakka lends support to the thesis of lexical diffusion that sound change is not phonologically independent but rather bears the result of interaction with lexicon. Second, on the basis of earlier Hakka texts I will examine the patterns in the distribution of the modern reflex of often written as a demotic word tZ in its capacity of a variable as a component of the complex interrogative words 'what', 'who' (what person) and 'why' (do what kind) or universal quantifiers in Hakka. The finding of the patterns of the Hakka interrogative word will be brought to bear on the patterns of its precursor in Early Modern Chinese colloquial texts. Close attention will be paid to the interaction of inherent lexical properties of the interrogative word and the grammatical constructions in which it occurs. Last of all, an attempt is made to survey the distribution and evolution of the Hakka-related based interrogative word in other dialectal areas.