Chinese Word Formation through the Lens of 19th-Century French Sinologists: Breaking Away from the Latin Grammatical Tradition

This study explores the characteristics of Chinese word formation through the lens of 19th-century French sinologists, focusing on three key monographs: Élémens de la grammaire chinoise by Rémusat (1822), Grammaire Mandarine by Bazin (1856), and Grammaire de la langue chinoise orale et écrite by Perny (1873). The findings highlight the French sinologists’ approaches to defining and classifying Chinese words, their views on the relationship between written and spoken Chinese, and insights into the syllabic and morphological features of Chinese word formation. Although their analyses were grounded in the Latin grammatical framework for pedagogical convenience, they began to break away from it, recognizing the unique features of Chinese. The study also discusses the significance of their contributions to the history of Chinese grammatical research.