The Functions and Grammaticalization of "说是" and its Teaching in TCFL
LI Zhi-ping · Journal of Yunnan Normal University · 2011
As a discourse marker,说是 has three functions: explication,explanation and transition plus two interpersonal functions: repeating and signaling.Its signaling function finds expression in revealing the information source,reducing doubts or giving negation to the quotation.The grammaticalization of 说是 results from the characteristics of the verb说or 是,which is copulative.Because of its relatively high frequency in HSK and in the media,it is suggested that 说是 should enter the Graded Chinese Vocabulary for TCFL rather than 没说的.