Context and construction in the grammaticalisation of Vietnamese cái

This article examines the grammaticalisation of Vietnamese cái through Heine’s context model and Diachronic Construction Grammar. The evidence shows a family of constructions: sortal [cái + N], nominalising [cái + root], VP-internal [V + một cái] (một 'one'), NP-internal evaluative [cái + expanded NP], and clausal stance and discourse-marking patterns. The argument is qualitative, supported by function counts in a curated historical sample. Nominal, eventive, and evaluative environments show how an individuating form can acquire different interpretations. These relations motivate a possible history of extension. The Vietnamese case illustrates a useful division of labour between grammaticalisation and Diachronic Construction Grammar: grammaticalisation directs attention to semantic extension, persistence, and layering, while constructional analysis identifies the local form-meaning pairings.