Translation and Formation of Names and Concepts of Modern Chinese Morphological Terminology

The names and concepts of the Modern Chinese grammar terminology in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China are not consistent with those in modern times, and most of them are influenced by translators from China, Western countries and Japan. Taking 1823−1924 as the investigation period, this paper selects 22 books to sort out 91 modern Chinese morphological terms related to the Chinese-translated grammar books. Mixed research methods and “family resemblance” theory are used to examine the formation of modern Chinese grammar terms. Findings indicate that: 1) 64 names and 71 concepts of 91 morphological terms were formed in 1924, 43 and 52 out of translation respectively and translated names of morphological terminology were formed mainly from Chinese scholars and translators; 2) While the terms were formed by borrowing classical words or combining Chinese morphemes to translate foreign concepts; the concepts were developed based on ancient concepts but narrowed or expanded in modern times for diachronic evolution; 3) translators and scholars learnt from each other with characteristics of synchronic individual creation.