The Polysemous Lia̍h 力 in Early Modern Southern Min and Its Contemporary Fate

Based on Early Modern Southern Min texts from Ming and Qing dynasties, this paper studies the different functions of 力 liāh in Southern Min and the grammaticalisation pathways that led to the polysemantism. 力 liāh could appear as a content verb 'to catch' or a polyfunctional case marker in Early Modern Southern Min; while in Contemporary Southern Min, its verb use has become overwhelming, and its grammatical uses are mostly fossilised.