Previous literature shows that scholars differ considerably on what verbal reduplication indicates. By making use of an oral speech corpus, we analyzed and tested the data and found that the functions of verbal reduplication have close relationships with the time that the action takes place. this is a point that is different from other perfective aspectual categories, which are usual-ly used in the past time. Due to its basic meaning, the delimitative aspect shows preference for volitional verbs. It has the semantic features of dynamicity, perfectivity, delimitativity, and transitoriness, yet it stresses the non-durativity of the event.
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