Word Order Strategies of Standard Chinese: An Analysis in Regard to Temporal Sequence

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book Word Order Strategies of Standard Chinese: An Analysis in Regard to Temporal Sequence by Anja Schmidt, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Anja Schmidt ISBN: 9783638316019
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: October 16, 2004
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Anja Schmidt
ISBN: 9783638316019
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: October 16, 2004
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject American Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1+ (A+), University of Hamburg, course: Motivation in Language, 17 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Linguists studying the syntactic relations of Chinese have often argued that Chinese, being a non-inflectional language, was more reliant on iconic principles than most Western languages. Since Chinese is largely dependent on the use of grammatical particles and word order, it was sought to represent conceptual mappings more directly than other languages, i.e. denoting states and events as direct reflections of human perceptions. But how iconic is Chinese really? And what are the main determinants of Chinese word order? The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of temporal sequence on Chinese word order. I will in particular examine the pre- and post-verbal placement of adverbials and try to display the limitations of this theory. I will furthermore demonstrate how other factors can account for word order questions not sufficiently resolved by the 'Principle of Temporal Sequence'. Accordingly, I will try to show that not just one major parameter is involved in Chinese word order, but several - interacting to various degrees in different contexts. For this purpose, I have examined Chinese sample sentences taken from dictionaries, as well as Chinese language learning material and grammar books. My analysis was moreover verified by the intuitions of native speakers of Chinese and is only concerned with 'Standard Chinese', or Putonghua (PTH) - the standardized variant of Chinese as it is used on mainland China since the 1950s. Hence, I will start this analysis with a discussion of the 'Principle of Temporal Sequence', its possible means for Chinese word order and its limitations. I will then consider other influences, e.g. topicality and definiteness by examining problematic cases of word order which can otherwise not be explained thoroughly by the temporal sequence hypothesis. A brief summary will conclude this investigation, pointing to further possible determiners of Chinese word order.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject American Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1+ (A+), University of Hamburg, course: Motivation in Language, 17 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Linguists studying the syntactic relations of Chinese have often argued that Chinese, being a non-inflectional language, was more reliant on iconic principles than most Western languages. Since Chinese is largely dependent on the use of grammatical particles and word order, it was sought to represent conceptual mappings more directly than other languages, i.e. denoting states and events as direct reflections of human perceptions. But how iconic is Chinese really? And what are the main determinants of Chinese word order? The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of temporal sequence on Chinese word order. I will in particular examine the pre- and post-verbal placement of adverbials and try to display the limitations of this theory. I will furthermore demonstrate how other factors can account for word order questions not sufficiently resolved by the 'Principle of Temporal Sequence'. Accordingly, I will try to show that not just one major parameter is involved in Chinese word order, but several - interacting to various degrees in different contexts. For this purpose, I have examined Chinese sample sentences taken from dictionaries, as well as Chinese language learning material and grammar books. My analysis was moreover verified by the intuitions of native speakers of Chinese and is only concerned with 'Standard Chinese', or Putonghua (PTH) - the standardized variant of Chinese as it is used on mainland China since the 1950s. Hence, I will start this analysis with a discussion of the 'Principle of Temporal Sequence', its possible means for Chinese word order and its limitations. I will then consider other influences, e.g. topicality and definiteness by examining problematic cases of word order which can otherwise not be explained thoroughly by the temporal sequence hypothesis. A brief summary will conclude this investigation, pointing to further possible determiners of Chinese word order.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book Civil society and the European Union: The mutual influence between EU institutions and czech non-Government organisations before and after EU-accession by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book For the Unemployed and the Aged - The Development of the Social Security Act In the Course of the Great Depression and Its Introduction During the New Deal by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book Bergbaukrise. Die Erfahrungsgeschichte der Bergarbeiter in den 1940er und 1950erJahren by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book Managerial Incentives and Corporate Governance by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book Ausbildungsberufe und 'duales System' in der Kritik by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book 'I have a wyf, the worste that may be' - The representation of marriage in the Canterbury Tales by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book The American School System. An Overview by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book Ford and Relationships by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book The use of inanimate subjects with the get-passive: A WebCorp study by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book Challenges in development in Ngamiland, Botswana by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book Die Duldung nach § 60a AufenthG by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book Structure and Chaos: Binary Pairs in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book What do project managers really do? Do they push their projects and lead their people? by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book Ethnicity, Economy and Historical Deconstruction in the Bakassi Borderland by Anja Schmidt
Cover of the book How does (if at all) the 'War on Terror' represent a different era from the 20th century's conventional wars? by Anja Schmidt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy