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 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
