The semantic change of Mandarin basic vision verbs: a dynamic behavioral profile analysis

Abstract Mandarin differs essentially in colexification from many other languages due to its preference for controlled visual activity verb kan “look” over uncontrolled visual experience verb jian “see.” This triggers inquiries as to whether Mandarin is historically inclined to controlled visual activity. Based on a dynamic behavioral profile analysis, this study traces the semantic change in kan and jian from Archaic Chinese to Contemporary Chinese, with a particular focus on the evidential discourse markers derived from them. Through descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), the data reveal that: (1) kan and jian have distinct behavioral profiles, and they primarily convey controlled visual activity and uncontrolled visual experience respectively in history; (2) kan has undergone semantic expansions with more varied usages, while jian has been decreasingly used; and (3) except in the Archaic period, the evidential discourse markers derived from kan exhibit greater semantic and structural diversities compared with those derived from jian . The comparison and contrast between the two basic vision verbs help to reveal Mandarin’s commonalities in semantic change while highlighting its peculiarity in emphasizing controlled visual activity over time.