In this thesis, the phenomenon of dangling topic sentences in Mandarin is investigated. These topics can appear without obvious marking in sentence initial position and are not related to a...Show moreIn this thesis, the phenomenon of dangling topic sentences in Mandarin is investigated. These topics can appear without obvious marking in sentence initial position and are not related to a resumptive pronoun or a gap in the comment. The goal is to explain that these sentences are actually not exclusive to Mandarin, but also appear in many other languages. Furthermore, I provide evidence that suggests that these topics receive a topic marker that is part of the numeration and are thus not as "bare" as they appear to be at first glance. This marker can either be realized prosodically or by a particle.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
This thesis discusses the properties of the current global language English, along with other three languages: Esperanto, Latin, and Classical Chinese who once were or close to be an international...Show moreThis thesis discusses the properties of the current global language English, along with other three languages: Esperanto, Latin, and Classical Chinese who once were or close to be an international language. This paper attempts to figure out if Chinese will replace English as the next global language by listing the properties of a global language following a comparison of the list with properties of Modern Chinese. In order to find out the properties of a global language, this thesis analyzes the reasons why each language became a global or a regional lingua franca and why some of the languages failed to maintain the status of being an international language. The result shows that being a global language often relies on colonial expansion, strong influence in multiple fields throughout the world and the easiness of acquiring the language. Chinese being the only language written with characters and the principle of “Peaceful Rise” of China makes Chinese less likely to be the next global language.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
