本研究探討越南語動詞 đi（意為「去」）的語法化歷程，追溯其語義與功能演變的各個階段。研究採用兩個語料來源：一為歷史文學語料庫，涵蓋自十三世紀至二十世紀初的五部作品；二為萊比錫語料庫集的越南語文本語料庫。本研究旨在回答以下問題：（1）đi 除了其核心意義「去」之外，還發展出哪些語法功能？（2）đi 語法發展中常見的構式有哪些？（3）這些構式如何呈現 đi 的語法化路徑？
研究結果顯示，語料中出現多種不同的構式與固定語式。從十三世紀至十九世紀初，各時期中 đi 的構式使用皆有所提升。至十三世紀，其語義已擴展至涵蓋交通方式、意圖目的，以及「移除」或「消失」的概念。至十五世紀，其語法功能進一步演化為方向、建議、命令的標記，並用來表達性質或狀態的變化。十九世紀則標誌著其語法發展的新階段：除了延續早期構式之外，đi 更進一步發展出一系列高使用頻率的固定語式，涵蓋持續移動、陪伴、出發與路徑等概念。針對第二個研究問題，本文歸納出五個關鍵構式：（1）đi-VP 作為目的或意圖的標記；（2）VP-đi 作為建議或命令的標記；（3）đi 作為方向標記；（4）VP-đi 作為移除或消失的標記；（5）Adj-đi 作為性質或狀態下降的標記。這五個構式出現頻率高，並且在各時期及現代越南語的語用中皆持續存在，突顯其穩定的語法發展。
本研究提出一條語法化路徑，說明 đi 如何由一個表「移動」的動詞，逐步發展為表示目的的語法標記，歷經幾個重要的歷史階段。我們認為 đi 首先發展為方向標記，隨後轉向目的性功能，這在現代用法中仍屬常見。句法重新解析與語音簡化是該演變後期背後重要的因素。本文揭示了從具體移動意義至抽象語法功能的演化，為相關的比較研究與展 đi 語法化的研究奠定了拋磚引玉之基礎。

This study examines the grammaticalization of the Vietnamese verb đi ‘go’,tracing itsdevelopment through stages of semantic and functional evolution. The study uses two corpora: a historical literature corpus containing five works from the thirteenth century to the early twentieth century and the Vietnamese text corpus from the Leipzig Corpora Collection. We aim to answer the following research questions: (1) What grammatical functions has đi developed beyond its core meaning of ‘to go’? (2) What grammatical constructions are commonly involved in the grammatical development of đi? and (3) What is the possible pathway through which the identified constructions illustrate the grammaticalization of đi?
The results show that our dataset contains multiple distinct constructions and fixed expressions. From the 13th to the early 19th century, there was a rise in constructions with đi in each period. By the thirteenth century, đi had broadened its meaning to include modes of transportation, intention or purpose, and the concept of removal or disappearance. By the fifteenth century, its grammatical functions had further evolved, serving as a marker of direction, suggestion, and command, as well as indicating changes in quality or state. The nineteenth century marked a shift in its evolution. In addition to the continued use of earlier constructions, đi had further developed into a range of fixed expressions, with high frequency phrases denoting persistent movement, accompaniment, departure, and pathways. In response to the second research question, five key constructions are identified: (1) đi-VP as a marker of purpose or intention, (2) VP-đi as a marker of suggestion or command, (3) đi as a marker of direction, (4) VP-đi as a marker of removal or disappearance, and (5) Adj-đi as a marker of decrease or change in quality or state. The five constructions were selected due to their higher frequency of occurrence compared to other forms. Additionally, each of these structures has appeared consistently across historical periods and into contemporary usage, highlighting their ongoing grammatical development over time. This study suggests a pathway in which đi evolved from a motion verb into a purposive marker through four stages of grammaticalization. We suggest that đi first developed into a marker of direction before shifting toward a purposive function, which remains common in modern usage. Reanalysis and phonological reduction have been key factors in this evolution, especially in the later stages.
This thesis sheds light on the evolution from motion to more abstract grammatical functions, offering a potential foundation for further comparative and extended studies on the grammaticalization of đi.

Adachi, M. (2024). From truth to discourse marker: The case of thâִt in Vietnamese. Russian Journal of Linguistics, 28(4), 966-990.
Anthony, L. (2023). AntConc (Version 4.2) [Computer software]. Waseda University.
Bilmes, L. (1995). The grammaticalization of Thai ‘come’ and ‘go’. In Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, 33-46.
Botne, R. (2006). Motion time and tense: On the grammaticalization of come and go to future markers in Bantu. Studies in African Linguistics, 35(2), 127-188.
Bùi, Thị Bích Ngân & Shelley Ching-yu Depner. 2025. The verb đi (go) in Vietnamese: A historical stage of Grammaticalization. Foreign Language Studies. (Accepted) [ACI].
Büchler, M., Franzini, G., Franzini, E., & Eckart, T. (2016). Mining and analysing one billion requests to linguistic services. In 2016 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (Big Data), 3230-3239.
Bybee, Perkins, et al. (1994). The Evolution of Grammar: Tense, Aspect, and Modality in the Languages of the World. Vol. 196. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Campbell, L., & Janda, R. (2000). Introduction: Conceptions of grammaticalization and their problems. Language Sciences, 23(2-3), 93-112.
Collins, P. (2009). Modals and quasi-modals in English. Rodopi.
Detges, U., & Waltereit, R. (2002). Grammaticalization vs. reanalysis: A semantic- pragmatic account of functional change in grammar. Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft, 21(2), 151-195.
Fan, X. (2018). 邢臺話 [了 1] 的兩個變體 (The verbal-LE variants in Xingtai dialect)[The verbal-LE variants in Xingtai dialect]. Language and Linguistics, 19(3), 410-438.
Fischer, O. (2000). Grammaticalisation: Unidirectional, non-reversible. In Pathways of Change: Grammaticalization in English, 149-169.
Fischer, O. (2008). On analogy as the motivation for grammaticalization. Studies in Language, 32(2), 336-382
Fischer, O. (2010). An iconic, analogical approach to grammaticalization. In Signergy, 279-298.
Fischer, O. (2013). An inquiry into unidirectionality as a foundational element of grammaticalization: On the role played by analogy and the synchronic grammar system in processes of language change. Studies in Language, 37(3), 515-533.
Givón, T. (1979). On understanding grammar (Perspectives in Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics). Academic Press.
Goldhahn, D., Eckart, T., & Quasthoff, U. (2012). Building large monolingual dictionaries at the Leipzig Corpora Collection: From 100 to 200 languages. In LREC, 29, 31-43.
Goossens, L. (1985). Modality and the modals: a problem for Functional Grammar. Predicates and terms in Functional Grammar, 203-217.
Greenberg, J. H. (1963). Some universals of grammar with particular reference to the order of meaningful elements. Universals of Language, 2, 73-113.
Greenberg, J. H. (1991). The last stages of grammatical elements: Contractive and expansive desemanticization. In Approaches to Grammaticalization, 1, 301-314.
Harris, A. C. (1995). Historical syntax in cross-linguistic perspective. Cambridge University Press.
Heine, B. (2017). Grammaticalization. In The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, 573-601.
Heine, B., Claudi, U., & Hünnemeyer, F. (1991). Grammaticalization: A conceptual framework.
Hoàng, Phê. Từ Điển Tiếng Việt [Vietnamese Dictionary]. Vietnam Lexicography Centre, NXB Đà Nẵng, 2002.
Holmer, A. J. (1996). A parametric grammar of Seediq (Vol. 30). Lund University Press.
Hopper, P. J., & Traugott, E. C. (2003). Grammaticalization. Cambridge University Press.
Hồ, Thị Kiều Oanh. (2009). Một số tiểu từ tình thái biểu đạt tính lịch sự trong hành động ngỏ lời bằng tiếng Việt [Some modal particles expressing politeness in Vietnamese speech acts]. Ngôn ngữ và đời sống [Language and Life], 6(164), 21-26.
Humboldt, W. von. (1999). On language: On the diversity of human language construction and its influence on the mental development of the human species. Cambridge University Press.
Jones, J. (1936). Some semantic observations on certain uses of go. Studies in English, 16, 42-52.
Kessakul and Ohori. (1998). “Grammaticalization of Deverbal Markers: Toward a Cross- Linguistic Study in the Semantic Extension of Motion Verbs.” In Papers from the 8th Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (SEALS VIII), pp. 93-108
Klamer, M. (2019). The dispersal of Austronesian languages in Island Southeast Asia: Current findings and debates. Language and Linguistics Compass, 13(4), e12325, 1- 27
Korloi, A., & Tawilapakul, U. (2018). Epistemic and deontic modality preference through “wanna” (Doctoral dissertation, Thammasat University).
Lê, Thời Tân. (2023). Vũ Trung Tùy Bút by Phạm Đình Hổ: The process of book formation and genre characteristics. Tạp chí Khoa học, 73, 5–11.
Lehmann, C. (2015). Thoughts on grammaticalization (p. 214). Language Science Press.
Lichtenberk, F. (1991). Semantic change and heterosemy in grammaticalization. Language, 67(3), 475-509.
Li, C. L. (2008). On grammaticalization of motion verbs in Paiwan. Studies in Philippine Languages and Cultures, 18, 65-107.
Lindström, T. (2004). The history of the concept of grammaticalisation (Doctoral dissertation, University of Sheffield).
Lorenz, D. (2013). Contractions of English semi-modals: The emancipating effect of frequency (Doctoral dissertation, Dissertation, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 2013).
Mithun, M. (1993). Bernd Heine, Ulrike Claudi & Friederike Hünnemeyer, Grammaticalization: A Conceptual Framework. University of Chicago Press.
Mueanjai, S., & Thepkanjana, K. (2009). Semantic extension of the verb of giving in Vietnamese. Mon-Khmer Studies, 38, 149-160.
Nguyễn, Đức Dân. (2013). Con đường chuyển nghĩa của từ đi [The semantic shift pathway of the verb đi]. Từ điển học và Bách khoa thư [Lexicography and Encyclopedia], 60, 42–46, 84.
Nguyễn, Thị Phương. (2009). Đặc trưng ngôn ngữ-văn hóa của các từ ngữ chỉ bộ phận cơ thể người trong thành ngữ tiếng Việt (so sánh với tiếng Anh) [Linguistic and cultural characteristics of body-part terms in Vietnamese idioms (compared to English idioms)]. (Doctoral dissertation, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education).
Nguyễn, Thị Thu Hà. (2022). The semantic change of verbs of touch in Vietnamese into the field of social interaction from an experiential theory perspective. Tạp chí Từ điển học & Bách khoa thư, (1), 32-88.
Nguyễn, Thu Trang. (2021). A corpus-based study on the grammaticalization of được in Vietnamese (Doctoral dissertation, University of Manitoba).
Norde, M. (2010). Degrammaticalization: Three common controversies. In Grammaticalization: Current views and issues (pp. 123-150). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Noss, R. B. (1964). Thai reference grammar. Foreign Service Institute, Department of State
Nuyts, J., & van der Auwera, J. (Eds.). (2016). The Oxford handbook of modality and mood. Oxford University Press.
Phạm, Tuấn Vũ (2020). “Quá giang” và “xe đò” [“Getting a ride” and “passenger bus”]. Bình Định Online Newspaper
Ramat, A. G. (1992). Grammaticalization processes in the area of temporal and modal relations. Studies in second language acquisition, 14(3), 297-322.
Ramat, A. G. (1998). Testing the boundaries of grammaticalization. In A. G. Ramat & P. J. Hopper (Eds.), The Limits of Grammaticalization. Benjamins, 107-127.
Ramat, P. (1992). Thoughts on degrammaticalization. Linguistics, 30(3), 549-560
Trần, Thị Thơm. (2018). Trần Quốc Tuấn’s perception of human virtue through the work“Hịch tướng sĩ” (Encouragement to Soldiers). American Journal of Educational Research, 6(6), 638-643.
Nguyễn, Đình Thu. (2021). Gender inequality in Nguyễn Dữ’s Truyền kỳ mạn lục from a cultural perspective. Journal of Science - Quy Nhon University, 15(4), 77-84.
Norde, M. (2010). Degrammaticalization: Three common controversies. In Grammaticalization: Current views and issues (pp. 123-150). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Quirk, Greenbaum, et al. 1985. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London & New York: Longman.
Scholfield, P. (1991). Statistics in linguistics. Annual Review of Anthropology, 377-393.
Sweetser. 1990. From Etymology to Pragmatics:Metaphorical and Cultural Aspects of Semantic Structure. Vol. 54. Cambridge University Press
Thiengburanathum, P. (2013). Thai motion verbs paj and maa: Where tense and aspect meet. Studies in Language. International Journal sponsored by the Foundation “Foundations of Language”, 37(4), 810-845.
Traugott, E. C. (2017). Constructions in grammaticalization. In The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, 624-647.
Traugott, E. C., & Heine, B. (Eds.). (1991). Approaches to grammaticalization: Volume II. Types of grammatical markers. John Benjamins Publishing, 19(2)
TWish. (2020). Học bài đê [Go study].
Visconti, J. (2006). Grammaticalization: Paul J.Hopper, Elizabeth Closs Traugott, Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics, Cambridge University Press, 2003 [1993].
Wu, J., He, Q., & Feng, G. (2016). Rethinking the Grammaticalization of Future be going to: A Corpus-based Approach. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, 23(4), 317-341.
Yang, X. (2015). Constructional Changes of Chinese Lai/Qu in Serial Verb Constructions. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, 5(03), 255
Yang, Y. (2019). The correlation between the Chinese purpose construction “VP+ qu (去,‘go’)” and SOV languages. Language Contact and Change in Chinese, 1, 125
Zeitoun, E., Huang, L. M., Yeh, M. M., Chang, A. H., & Wu, J. J. (1996). The temporal, aspectual, and modal systems of some Formosan languages: A typological perspective. Oceanic Linguistics, 35, 21-56.
Yi, L., & Ogawa, Y. (2024). Comparison of the Verb of Motion GO in English and Chinese in Terms of Grammaticalization. Interdisciplinary information sciences, 30(1), 13-35.