While in many Chinese languages possessive pronouns do not exist, in Kejia they do, and this thesis delves into them. First, it looks at their distribution and variation throughout the Kejia...Show moreWhile in many Chinese languages possessive pronouns do not exist, in Kejia they do, and this thesis delves into them. First, it looks at their distribution and variation throughout the Kejia dialects and their possible origin. This enables research into the function of Kejia possessive pronouns and their usage in possessive constructions, which forms the latter part of the thesis. While earlier research on the topic focused on separate Kejia dialects, in this thesis, all the available data from scholarly literature have been collected, compared, and enhanced with a small informant consultation. The thesis finds that: Kejia possessive pronouns are found in all dialects looked at; they feature some variation but most seem to be constructed out of the personal pronouns with /-a/ as coda vowel; of the three origin theories compared, the one that proposes contraction of the personal pronoun and the /a-/ common before kinship terms is the most plausible; in some dialects, the usage is limited to kinship terms, while in other dialects the usage has broadened to all semantic categories of possession, and throughout the Kejia dialects much variation exists in this respect; in some dialects, the subdivision of possessive constructions does not follow the traditional subdivision in semantic categories.Show less
