Abstract
Sentence-final particles of modality (hereafter ”particles”) are among the most problematic aspects of pre-Qin Chinese grammar. Previously, scholars agreed that these particles by convention designate the subjectivity of an utterance, i.e., the speaker's vantage point or attitude. However, the sentences in a discourse that end with such particles often shift in their expressive force depending on context. This raises the question whether the particles are multifunctional in nature, rather than each possessing one single conventionalized function. The issue has been further complicated due to terms being inconsistently used in previous studies.By relying instead on a conceptual basis for particles, the present paper attempts to distinguish their functional categories and to explain how contextual factors may have had an impact on the use of particles and consequently resulted in diachronic change. This paper identifies differences between the subjectivity implied in the predicative components of a sentence and that designated by particles, and also makes the point that the subjective function of a couple of the particles might have already crossed over into inter-subjectivity. In explaining sentence-final particles of modality in Chinese from the point of view of subjectivity, this paper follows the current trend in linguistics for approaching these issues, a departure from previous studies.