Chinese Language and Discourse - Volume 17, Issue 1, 2026

Abstract

As a linking element, zongzhi ‘in sum, to sum up’ displays archaic qualities and is most commonly associated with formal written Chinese discourse. However, this paper demonstrates that zongzhi can also be deployed in dialogic interactions in contemporary spoken Chinese to accomplish distinct social actions. Drawing on a variety of dialogic data, we identify a major distinction between tokens produced by the primary speaker and those produced by the respondent. Tokens from the primary speaker fall into three subcategories, corresponding to a person-based grouping: (1) first-person tokens are used to display the speaker’s affective stance toward the stated situation; (2) second-person tokens can address the interlocutor’s concerns; and (3) third-person tokens function primarily for informing and/or explaining. Although zongzhi-prefaced turns by respondents are relatively rare, they are noteworthy for their role in transforming the participation framework with distinct interactional functions. Additionally, zongzhi tokens are often associated with prosodic prominence and occur at points of conversation sequential transition. We offer a unified account of these diverse uses by linking them to some of the requirements of sequence closings in conversation. We conclude by discussing the broader implications of these findings for understanding lexical expressions of summarization, totality, and/or inclusivity. We emphasize that viewing grammar and social interaction as interdependent provides a productive framework for analyzing lexical tokens cutting across both written and spoken genres, as well as their variation within speech registers.

抽象的

基于大规模语料库 (共3.2万句，86万词规模)，本文系统比较了中韩网络仇恨言论在性别、种族/国籍、地域三个维度的语言特征。同时，不仅描述语言现象，更深入分析其作为社会行为的语言策略与功能，揭示了两国仇恨言论背后的社会文化差异及动因。研究发现，韩国的性别仇恨言论更直接，包含针对身体特征的表演性暴力、基于派生构词法的语域化(Enregisterment)，用以激化性别对立；中国则更依赖高阶指示性(Higher-order indexicality)，通过隐喻或谐音间接构建性别议题。种族相关表达方面，两国的立场表达(Stance-taking)策略有所不同。韩国主要针对国内移民和外籍群体，反映内部社会紧张；中国则关注国外情景，强调集体认同。地域相关表达方面，韩国侧重于地方对立和首都中心主义；中国则受经济差距、民族多样性和社会认知差异的影响，呈现更复杂的表达模式。结论指出，网络仇恨言论并非单一现象，而是由特定语言意识形态与媒介环境共同塑造的，是反应文化特殊性的复杂言语行为。本文结合基于统计检验的关键词分析及其上下文(KWIC)考察，从定量和定性视角探讨中韩网络负面言论的语言特征及表达机制，为跨文化仇恨言论研究提供重要参考。

Abstract

This paper examines 120 Chinese and English responses to online negative reviews within the Rapport Management Framework. Both cultures frequently use positive rapport move, reflecting rapport-enhancement and rapport-maintenance orientations. Chinese responses more frequently employ negative rapport move, evoke poetic imagery, offer explanations, and use forms of deference and in-group address terms. English responses record a higher frequency of express empathy. Both types of responses manage rapport by addressing reviewers’ face, association rights and interactional goals. This study contributes to the understanding of review response genre and offers practical insights for practitioners in improving customer rapport and service recovery.

Abstract

The present study aims to examine which cognitive processing model, namely the Default Model, Context-driven Model, or Standardization Model, offers the most effective explanation for how native Mandarin speakers process scalar implicatures. The experiment in the current study employs a forced-choice task to investigate whether native Mandarin speakers interpret scalar terms literally or pragmatically by having participants complete dialogues containing these terms, which were then analyzed for their scalar implicature interpretation rates and response times. The experimental materials contain gradable adjective pairs re/tang ‘hot/scalding’ and hao/youxiu ‘good/excellent’ as well as closed-class pairs youxie/suoyou ‘some/all’ and huo/he ‘or/and’ placed in three distinct types of contexts, specifically upper-bounded context, lower-bounded context and neutral context. The preliminary results show that the processing of both gradable adjective pairs is best explained by the Standardization Model while that of the two closed-class pairs best fits the predictions of the Default Model.

Abstract

Adopting the framework of interactional linguistics and employing the methodology of conversation analysis, this study investigates the discourse-interactional functions of the causal conjunction yinwei (“because”) in naturally occurring Mandarin conversation. Moving beyond its conventional use as a marker of reason or cause, the analysis reveals two prominent interactional functions of yinwei in everyday talk: (1) continuing a pre-prior course of action to advance the speaker’s interactional agenda, and (2) reopening a previously completed telling to pursue affiliative or responsive uptake from the hearer. These findings demonstrate that yinwei functions not only as a semantic connector but also as a resource for managing conversational structure and speaker-hearer alignment. By showing how speakers strategically exploit yinwei to organize discourse and negotiate participation, this study contributes to a more nuanced and interactionally grounded understanding of causal conjunctions in Mandarin and highlights the importance of sequential positioning in shaping their discourse functions.

This article reviews Chinese Sociolinguistics: Language and Identity in Greater China9781032382425

This article reviews Fundamental Structures of the Chinese Language: Topic-Comment and Other Key Structures9781003439271

This article reviews Bibliometric Research on Chinese Pragmatics9787522744445