This thesis gives a detailed overview of the Guīshān Mandarin sound system based on several thousands of monosyllables uttered in isolation. The analyses presented are both phonetic and...Show moreThis thesis gives a detailed overview of the Guīshān Mandarin sound system based on several thousands of monosyllables uttered in isolation. The analyses presented are both phonetic and phonological, combining quantitative and qualitative methods.Show less
Mandarin Chinese has a grammatical category that contains what is generally called yǔqìcí (语气词), a term that is translated into English as ‘modal particles,’ ‘mood particles,’ or ‘emotional...Show moreMandarin Chinese has a grammatical category that contains what is generally called yǔqìcí (语气词), a term that is translated into English as ‘modal particles,’ ‘mood particles,’ or ‘emotional particles.’ These particles primarily appear at the end of sentences and are often regarded as modifying a whole sentence rather than its linguistic unit; therefore, they are also known as ‘sentence-final particles’ or ‘sentence particles.’ Considering the high frequency of such particles in spoken Chinese than in written Chinese, Luke (1990) and Chu (2002) also refer to the term as ‘utterance particles’ or ‘utterance-final particles.’Show less
The study of reduplication in Chinese has received more and more attention in recent years. With the development of modern linguistic theories, scholars have begun investigating Chinese...Show moreThe study of reduplication in Chinese has received more and more attention in recent years. With the development of modern linguistic theories, scholars have begun investigating Chinese reduplication as a phonological or morphological phenomenon instead of a pure rhetorical device. However, traditional epistemology and methodology still takes the dominant position in the study of OC (short for Old Chinese, the same hereafter). Therefore, it is necessary to examine OC reduplication from new perspectives with advanced theory and methodology, as an important part in the study of historical Chinese.Show less
In this thesis I focus on the system of word categorization in Mandarin. The discussion on this topic is an ongoing one. I try to shed some light on categoriality in Mandarin by discussing several...Show moreIn this thesis I focus on the system of word categorization in Mandarin. The discussion on this topic is an ongoing one. I try to shed some light on categoriality in Mandarin by discussing several different views and contrasting proposals which have been put forward by different authors. In order to obtain some new insight I conducted two experiments, based on Borer’s (2003) theory about the exo-skeletal approach, in which I tested verbal coercion on nouns. The results of these experiments have led me to adopt the term ‘categorical fluidity’ (Kwong & Tsou, 2003) to describe word classes in Mandarin. This fluidity proved to be accommodated by the high potential for innovative ambiguities, which, in turn is caused by characteristics of Mandarin when it comes to morphology and syntax. I then take a sidetrack and focus on one word category in particular to point out a peculiar similarity. The results of a third experiment show that the flexibility that is found between different word classes in Mandarin, is also found within the word category of classifiers and measure words.Show less
Language attitude is one of the most critical issues in sociolinguistics and since the study of Lambert et al. (1960), relevant research with various research methods has proliferated. The research...Show moreLanguage attitude is one of the most critical issues in sociolinguistics and since the study of Lambert et al. (1960), relevant research with various research methods has proliferated. The research results can help explain the nature of the distribution of language variations and is of vital importance when considering language restoration, maintenance or death. Besides, the language attitude research has theoretical significance on language planning and policy. The purpose of the current study is to determine the evaluative reactions of the younger generation in Rongcheng towards speakers of the standard language, Putonghua, and the non-standard variety, Rongcheng dialect. 47 high school and university students in Rongcheng participated in the study and the direct method of questionnaire and the indirect method of the matched guise technique are combined. In the matched guise experiment, six guises were selected for evaluation in the dimensions of social status and group solidarity. Generally speaking, on solidarity dimension, Rongcheng dialect is rated higher than Putonghua, while on status dimension, Putonghua is rated higher. The accented Putonghua is a form between Putonghua and Rongcheng dialect. On social status dimension, it is rated lowest compared with Putonghua and Rongcheng dialect and on group solidarity it is rated similarly to Putonghua. The findings indicate that Rongcheng dialect is the language variety with covert prestige in Rongcheng. Besides, subjects’ language attitude tend to be multi-valued: factors such as gender, educational level and etc. are linked to subjects' differentiated attitude towards Rongcheng dialect and Putonghua.Show less
Modern Chinese languages are tonal languages but they were not always so. As tones emerged in the language, speakers' awareness of them has grown as well. Two topics are discussed in this thesis....Show moreModern Chinese languages are tonal languages but they were not always so. As tones emerged in the language, speakers' awareness of them has grown as well. Two topics are discussed in this thesis. How the awareness of tone has developed, and what tonal information is revealed in the descriptions by poets and Chinese language learners of the time.Show less
This thesis provides a syntactic explanation of the object placement issue of three buyu-structures, i.e. resultative buyu-structure, degree buyu-structures and potential buyu-strucutres, by re...Show moreThis thesis provides a syntactic explanation of the object placement issue of three buyu-structures, i.e. resultative buyu-structure, degree buyu-structures and potential buyu-strucutres, by re-examining their syntactic structures respectively. As a result, the reason why no object is allowed in the degree buyu-structure is ascribed to another projection occupying the complement position of V, which never moves up. On the contrary, without the extra projection, resultative and potential structures display a simpler sentence formation: [NP+VP+NP], where the second NP looks like the object of a sentence. However, contraints on the syllable numbers of the resultative buyu dues to the existence of vP in transitive resultative buyu-structures, and v0 cannot take a huge chunk, which reflects the crucial property of the so-called ‘light verb’ ------ LIGHT. Apart from solving this object placement issue, the current study also applies Xuan’s (2008, 2011) TelicP Hypothesis to the analysis of both degree constructions and potential forms, revising Sybesma’s (1999) Small Clause analysis in several aspects. A relative unified skeleton of these three buyu-structures is built: [vP [v’ v [AspP [Asp’ Asp [Mod2P [Mod2’ Mod2 [TelP [Tel’ Tel [VP [V’ V (…) ]]]]]]]]]] The derivations of these three categories of buyu-structures also share some common processes. First, the main verb moves up to Tel0 to check its telic feature and incorporates with buyu; then the combination of [V+buyu] moves up to inner Asp0 or Mod0. For resultative buyu-structures, there is no inner ModP, thus the movements within vP are V-to-Tel0 movement and then Tel0-to-Asp0 movement. If the structure is transitive, one more operation is applied: an Asp0-to-v movement or an insertion of ba. For degree buyu-structures, a DegP occupies the complement position of the main verb to predicate on the main verb, denoting the degree property of a verbal event. The Tel0 is filled with de and the main verb moves up and incorporates with de. In transitive structures, the combination of [V-de] further moves up to v. For potential buyu-structure, de occupies Mod20, and no inner AspP is involved. Similarly, the main verb moves up and incorporates with buyu first, and then their combination moves up to Mod20 and incorporates with potential de. Lastly, the incorporated potential construction would further moves up to Mod10 at IP domain to fully realize the potential modality.Show less
The thesis compares two non-canonical question types in Mandarin: Negative Wh-Constructions and causal/denial how-questions. The second chapter investigates their syntax. Based on a number of...Show moreThe thesis compares two non-canonical question types in Mandarin: Negative Wh-Constructions and causal/denial how-questions. The second chapter investigates their syntax. Based on a number of syntactic tests, they seem to share the same position in the Mandarin sentence. The third chapter aims to answer the question whether there are any differences between Negative Wh-Constructions and propositional negations. Negative Wh-Constructions prove to be metalinguistic negations, and as such, their use is limited by some conversational constraints. Also, as for the licensing of negative polarity items, they show a peculiar behavior. The fourth chapter looks at Mandarin 'how come' questions and the source of their causal and denial readings. Causality is explained in syntactic terms while for the denial reading, a semantic explanation is given based on modality. Mandarin data are compared to Hungarian ones.Show less
This thesis investigates the prosodic properties of the Mandarin Chinese sentence final particle ne. Frequency (F0) and duration of the particle in questions and declaratives are analyzed, as well...Show moreThis thesis investigates the prosodic properties of the Mandarin Chinese sentence final particle ne. Frequency (F0) and duration of the particle in questions and declaratives are analyzed, as well as the influence of the particle on prosodic properties of preceding syllables. It was found that the particle ne has different realizations with respect to interrogative and declarative sentences, and that it influences the prosody of preceding syllables to a certain extent.Show less
