Abstract:

The verb-object construction in oracle inscriptions is primarily verb-object,but there is also the form of object-verb.With a mark,an object precedes its verb for the purpose of emphasis.In the case there is no mark,the fact of an object precedes its verb is due to a relatively low level of syntactic modelization in the original language.Typically,an object in oracle inscriptions is not a true object but an attachment object.However,a true object functioned as a typical object in the Western Zhou Dynasty.The word order of double-object construction in the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Book of History (Shangshu) in Official Script of the Han Dynasty still have the trace of a relatively low modelization level.

Key words: oracle inscriptions, inscriptions on bronzes in the Western Zhou Dynasty, Book of History in Official Script of the Han Dynasty, verb-object construction, modelization level