The diachronic development of the verb phrase in Pre-Tang Chinese: Aspect and Modality

The second phase of the project is particularly devoted to the analysis of modal adverbs with regard to their epistemic and deontic values, of the development of modal negative markers, and of the syntax and the semantics of the modal verbs of possibility. The system of adverbs and of negative markers is evidently subject to substantial changes from Late Archaic to Tang period Chinese.