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 Mandarin the suffix -zi is often used to free +count bound morphemes. However, in Cantonese this suffix is rarely used. This paper seeks to explain the discrepancy between these two Sinitic...Show moreIn Mandarin the suffix -zi is often used to free +count bound morphemes. However, in Cantonese this suffix is rarely used. This paper seeks to explain the discrepancy between these two Sinitic languages in the usage of this suffix. In the existing literature this discrepancy is often attributed to homophony: since homophony isn't as frequent in Cantonese as in Mandarin, the suffix -zi isn't necessary. However, in this paper I argue that homophony is not only a problem in Mandarin, but in Cantonese as well. Therefore both languages require a different method of disambiguation. In Mandarin this is done by affixation, of which the suffix -zi is one example, and in Cantonese this is done by an elaborate system of classifiers. These different methods of disambiguation explain the discrepancy in the usage of -zi.Show less
