Chinese Language and Discourse - Current Issue

Abstract

The perception of L2 Mandarin coda nasals (-n and -ŋ) by L1 Wuxi Wu (with only -n) and L1 Fuqing Min (with only -ŋ) speakers was investigated. Results of two experiments revealed that the younger generation of both Wuxi and Fuqing speakers identified Mandarin coda nasals more accurately than the middle-aged generation. The high front vowel /i/ correlated with more misidentifications of postvocalic nasals than mid and low vowels but the result was confounded with nasal type and age group. Background noise impacted with the identification of nasal place of articulation but it was also confounded with nasal type and the L1. These findings shed light on the effects of coarticulation, L1 sound system and language contact on the perception and acquisition of L2 sounds in societal bilingualism.

Abstract

Posture verbs have attracted considerable interest within Cognitive Linguistics. This study continues this line of research by investigating usage-based patterns associated with these verbs when used in their literal posture senses. The data for the study comes from the Lancaster Corpus of Mandarin Chinese and the CALLHOME Mandarin Corpus. We investigate the frequencies and distributions of the Mandarin posture verbs 坐 zuò ‘sit’, 站 zhàn ‘stand’, and 躺 tǎng ‘lie’ in four construction types: directional constructions, aspectual suffixes, serial verb constructions, and locative constructions. The analysis confirms the primacy of zuò, zhàn, and tǎng and, among other results, reveals a significant absence of locative phrases with the dynamic forms of the verbs as used with directionals.

Abstract

By applying the concepts of indexicality and enregisterment, this paper demonstrates how different discourse particles and their collocations index various personae in Singapore Mandarin and how media representations enregister them within the community. The theory of persona is shown to explain the majority of seemingly random individual differences in discourse particle usage exhibited by two TV hosts. Finally, it is important to note that not all variation between the two hosts can be attributed to the enactment of personae. Psychological factors, such as bilingual lexical activation, should also be considered influences on linguistic variation, alongside linguistic and social factors.

Abstract

This study examines three major response particles, o/ou, en, and a in Mandarin conversation. Using the framework of interactional linguistics, this study examines the actions implemented by these particles and their associated prosodic patterns. It discovers that, while these three particles have shared functions, they show interactional nuances that allow for more fine-grained actions. It also reveals that different particles tend to have a similar prosodic design when they implement the same action. This study sheds light on the detailed workings of these particles both prosodically and interactionally in Mandarin speakers’ everyday conversation, contributing a specific case to further cross-linguistic comparison.

摘要

本研究通过梳理汉语中具有较高使用频率的“有”在共时和历时层面、口语和书面语中的使用情况，发现“有”可以跟多种语类范畴共现，构成新的句法成分，占据不同的句法层级，获得不同的语义或语用解读。在共时上，语料涉及普通话和六种典型方言中“有”的语义或语用解读和功能表现，在历时上比较了现代汉语和古代汉语中“有”的词汇多义性。本研究以“有”的词汇多义性为出发点，采用生成语法视角描绘了不同语义或语用解读的“有”的句法层级高低，展示了“有”的句法连续性，同时为汉语词汇语法化过程提供了语义和句法视角下的证据。

Abstract

This exploratory study adopts qualitative and quantitative methods to examine Chinese presuppositions in 132 real estate advertisements from 2007 to 2022. From the advertisements, we have identified a list of lexical items and syntactic constructions that trigger presuppositions in Chinese. We analyze how the presuppositions convey persuasive claims in Chinese real estate advertisements and contribute to the literature by presenting a novel framework including new categories and subtypes for analyzing Chinese presuppositions for future research. Statistical frequencies of presupposition triggers are identified to describe their occurrence in Chinese real estate advertisements. The study provides insights for consumers to improve their ability to identify presupposition triggers and for regulatory bodies to monitor the presupposed contents.

This article reviews The sounds of Mandarin: Learning to speak a national language in China and Taiwan, 1913–19609780231209038