This thesis compares similar phonological features across Táiwān Mandarin and Singapore Mandarin by measuring the acoustic properties of the variables in question. Despite both varieties’ official...Show moreThis thesis compares similar phonological features across Táiwān Mandarin and Singapore Mandarin by measuring the acoustic properties of the variables in question. Despite both varieties’ official claim of being identical to Běijīng Mandarin, they have developed a significant number of differences in parallel. I hypothesize that this is because both of these varieties grew out of having Mandarin imposed upon populations that were originally and largely Southern Mǐn speaking. To test this, I modified the Labovian sociolinguistic interview for an online survey format for easy distribution. I focused largely on four variables, the first three of which are theoretically available in both of the varieties of Mandarin under investigation: 1) dentalization of the retroflex sibilants, 2) dentalization of the velar nasal codas following mid to high front vowels, and 3) unrounding of the rounded high front vowel. The final variable under investigation was a possible fifth tone only available in Singapore Mandarin. Despite whatever ease this afforded in data collection, the online survey format also created a lot of disparity between recordings that could have been avoided by using a laboratory setting, or even just consistent recording equipment. Keeping this defect in mind, I found both the behaviours predicted in prior literature, but also its exact opposite, leading me to believe that an online survey format will need a lot of honing before it can reliably be applied to research based on measuring acoustics.Show less
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the origin, evolution, and implication of the Mandarin word tóngzhi from 1911 to 2017. This particular word is interesting to investigate, because over...Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to investigate the origin, evolution, and implication of the Mandarin word tóngzhi from 1911 to 2017. This particular word is interesting to investigate, because over the past century the word tóngzhì has undergone progressive change. This change is primarily due to deliberate language planning. Therefore, it is very important to increase understanding of the conceptual and practical usage of tóngzhì.Show less
Er komen continue nieuwe woorden in het Mandarijn terecht vanuit andere talen. Er zijn verschillende manieren waarop een woord in het Mandarijn terecht komt. De verschillende mogelijkheden die in...Show moreEr komen continue nieuwe woorden in het Mandarijn terecht vanuit andere talen. Er zijn verschillende manieren waarop een woord in het Mandarijn terecht komt. De verschillende mogelijkheden die in dit eindwerkstuk uitgelicht worden zijn, merknamen, grafische leenwoorden uit het Kantonees, Japans en Engels, leenvertalingen, fonetische leenwoorden, fonetische leenwoorden met betekenis aanduidend suffix, semifonetische semisemantische leenwoorden en combinatievormen.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
In this thesis the argument made is that Mandarin sentence-le is to be analyzed as the English nonfinite perfect "to have + -ed". First, by the use of the Reichenbach-Klein framework, a definition...Show moreIn this thesis the argument made is that Mandarin sentence-le is to be analyzed as the English nonfinite perfect "to have + -ed". First, by the use of the Reichenbach-Klein framework, a definition is given of the used terms such as 'tense' and 'aspect'. Then, also using the Reichenbach-Klein framework, a description is given of the main characteristics of the English nonfinite perfect "to have + -ed". Then, a description is given of the semantics of le, based on what is said about this in the literature. Finally, a native speaker is asked to answer questions about sentences in which sentence-le is used with different types of predicates in order to see how the meaning of these sentences differ or are similar to the meaning of sentences in which the English nonfinite perfect is used.Show less
In 1956, the Chinese government began to encourage people all over the country to speak Mandarin in accordance with government policy. This policy was regarded as an effective way to remove...Show moreIn 1956, the Chinese government began to encourage people all over the country to speak Mandarin in accordance with government policy. This policy was regarded as an effective way to remove linguistic barriers among the different provinces, but later it was found that it was also one of the most important reasons behind the vanishing of dialects. Shanghainese 上海话 (Shanghaihua), is the indigenous language in Shanghai. It developed rapidly in the first half of the last century and is regarded as a cultural symbol by the local people of Shanghai. It enjoyed a dominant position in the area until the implementation of the national language policy. After 2000, more and more local people in Shanghai have begun to speak Mandarin in daily life. This thesis aims to study political, social and cultural factors which have led to this kind of linguistic change. I will explore the social function of Shanghainese and give an analysis on why and how people speak specific languages in various social domains. After demonstrating that the social function of Shanghainese is at present rather limited, I will investigate the prevalence of the awareness that favors saving the language and promoting local culture in Shanghainese for the goal of retaining local uniqueness. The thesis will consist of five chapters. The first chapter will include the introduction of Shanghainese, the interdependent relationship amongst languages, society and people and the central question and research methods. The second chapter will be the literature review. Then, I will discuss about how the social context has impacted peoples’ attitudes to Shanghainese and Mandarin and explore incentives behind the switching of languages. Different public and private space, including schools, governmental institutions, media, work places, home and so on, will be analyzed respectively in the third chapter. In ‘Chapter Four’, I will sketch how people consider Shanghainese to be a key part of their cultural identity. The last chapter will be the conclusion of thesis.Show less
