粵語常用加綴、變音和變調表小稱，本文運用曹逢甫(2006、2007)「語法化輪迴」的概念，討論粵語小稱的語法化程度、分佈状況、彼此間的關連。 本文用「語法化輪迴」的概念來解釋粵語的小称詞變化，三種詞尾中，以仔尾的分布最廣，其次是子尾、兒尾。變音、變調则集中在廣州、粵西一帶。信宜的小稱詞是五個代表方言點中最豐富的。兒尾產生的時聞比變音、變調早，並派生出變音、變調。變調通常採高調手段，高調小稱是有生物學基礎的自然現象。 Affixation, shift in rhyme, and shift in tone are the general rules of the diminutives in Yue Dialect This paper deploys the concept of "grammaticalization cycle" to discuss the grammaticalization, distribution, and correlation of diminutives in Yue Dialect. It argues that the development of diminutives in Yue Dialect is explicable through the concept of grammaticalization cycle. The distribution of nil suffix is the most popular one, followed by that of izi suffix and er suffix. Shift in rhyme and shift in tone can be found in Guangzhou and throughout the western part of Guangdong. Among the five prominent locations where the dialect is used, the diminutives found in Xin Yi are the most diverse ones. Historically, the appearance of er suffix was earlier than shift in rhyme and shift in tone. In fact, shift in rhyme and shift in tone were both derived from er suffix. Shift in rhyme usually results in a high pitch-an effect which is biologically-grounded.
