Abstract
This paper explores the polyfunctionality of the word 句 koh^4, originating from 故 koo^3, in Ming and Qing Southern Min playscripts. The paper examines the distribution of 句 in these early texts with respect to the original sense as well as the context-sensitive meanings. I take the original sense STILL of 句 as a source to motivate the extension of senses: persistence of STILL led to the sense of AGAIN, which developed the function of linking two events or two discourse fragments. The linking function yielded the concessive meaning prompted by pragmatic inferencing, and the uninterrupted invariance brought about the function of gradable intensifiers. The paper also deals with compounds featuring the juxtaposition of 句 with another synonym. The occurrence of compounding helps disambiguate the polyfunctional 句 and enhances clarity. In sum, based on textual evidence, I argue for the coexistence of an early sense of STILL and a new sense of concession in 句. However, this concessive sense induced by pragmatic inferencing based on information from the context has yet to be conventionalized as part of the lexical meaning.