Mandarin Chinese : a practical reference grammar for students and teachers Volume 2

283 Pages·1989·8.273 MB·English

by  Y.C. Li

Mandarin Chinese:
A Practical Reference Grammar for
Students and Teachers (Vol.II)
Y.C.Li, Robert L. Cheng,
Larry Foster, Shang H. Ho,
John Y. Hou, Moira Yip
The Crane Publishing Co.
Chinese Materials Center Publications

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
CHAPTER V The Noun Phrase: Its Related Structures
and Elements
5.1. Classification of Nouns.................................1
5.1.1. Prefixes............................................1
5.1 .1 .1 . Animate Nouns.................................1
5.1.1.2. Inanimate Nouns...............................5
5.1 .2 . Suffixes........................................... 6
5.1.2.1. Animate' Nouns.................................6
5.1.2.2. Inanimate Nouns..............................10
5.2. Place Words and Time Words.............................14
5.2.1. Place Words........................................15
5.2.1 .1. Nouns as Place Names........................ 15
5.2.1.2. Position Words/localizers...................15
5.2.2. Time Words.........................................20
5.2.2.1. Specification of Time: Year/Day............ 21
5.2.2.2. Specification of Time: Month/Week..........24
5.2.2.3. Relative Time Suffixes...................... 25
5-3. Proper Names.............. 27
5.3-1 • Title..............................................27
5.3.1 .1 . General...................................... 27
5.3*1 -2. Prof essional/Position/Honor.................29
5.3.1 -3. Polite/Intimate Terms of Address........... 31
5.4. Bureaucratic Institutions and Mechanisms............. 32
5.4.1. Special Terms for Bureaucratic Institutions
and mechanisms.................................... 32
5.5. Nouns for Abstract Ideas...............................33
5.5.1. General Remarks................................... 33
5.5.2. Suffixation........................................33
5.5.3. Transliteration................................... 35
5.5.4. Translation........................................35
CHAPTER VI The Adverbial Phrase: Its Related Structures
Elements
6.0. Overview................................................36
6.0. 1. Classification of Adverbials and Their
Scope of Modification.............................36
6.0. 2. Classification of Adverbials by Their
Internal Structure................................37
6.0. 2.1. Single-Word Adverbs........................ 37
6.0. 2.2. Adverbial Phrase of Clause.................40
6.0. 3. Classification of Adverbials by Their Position
in the Sentence................................... 42
6.0. 4. Word Order of Adverbials and Their Scope
of Modification................................... 46
6.0. 5. Classification of the Adverbials on
Their Relationship with Extra-Sentential
Elements: Adjuncts, Dusjuncts, Conjuncts........49
/
6.1 . Adverbials of Connection............................... 52
6.1.0. General Characteristics...........................52
6.1.1. Semantic Sub-Classes of Adverbials of
Connection...................................... 56
6.1.2. Placement of Conjuncts............................68
6.2.2. Forms of Speech Act Adverbials...................72
6.2.3. Subclasses of Speech Act Adverbials............. 75
6.2.4. Placement of Speech Act Adverbials.............. 76
6.3. Adverbial of Evaluation................................77
6.3.1. General Characteristics of the Adverbial of
Evaluation.........................................77
6.3.2. Forms of Adverbials of Evaluation................78
6.3.3. Subclasses of Adverbials of Evaluation.......... 81
6.3.4. Placement of Adverbials of Evaluation........... 84
6.4. Adverbials of Time..................................... 85
6.4.0. Overview...........................................85
6.4.1 . Duration........................................... 88
6.4.2. Frequency..........................................91
6.4.3. Since-till-expression.............................93
6.4.4. When-expressions.................................. 96
6.4.4.1. Pure Adverbial When-expressions............ 97
6.4.4.2. Nominal When-expressions....................98
6.4.6. Negation of a When- or Since-till-Expression
vs. Negation of an event Verb...................111
6.4.7. Negated Frequency and Negated Event............ 112
6.4.8. Negated Duration and Negated Event..............114
6.5. Location and Direction................................119
6.5.1. General Remarks.................................. 119
6.5.1. Locational Constructions........................ 121
6.5.1 .1. Postverbal Locational Constructions...... 121
6.5.1.2. Preverbal Locational Constructions........ 123
6.5.1.3. Sentence Initial Location Constructions... 124
6.5.1.4. Verbs of Location-Based Action............ 125
6.5.1 .4.1. Intransitive Verbs of Location-based
Action................................. 125
6.5.1.4.2. Transitive Action Verbs that "Place"
the Object at a Certain Location.... 126
6.5.1.4.3. Transitive Action Verbs that Make the
Object Come into Existence at a
Location...............................127
6.5.2. Directional Constructions....................... 129
6.5.2.1. Locomotion Specifying the Starting Place
(cong 'from') and Destination
(ddo ’ to * ).................................. 128
6.5.2.1.1. WithanlntransitiveMain Verb......130
6.5.2.1.2. With a Transitive Main Verb......... 131
6.5.2.2. Locomotive Specifying Direction (xiang
* toward' )................................... 133
6.5.2.2.1. With a Transitive Main Verb.......... 133
6.5.2.3. Parts of the Sentence that Express
Direction................................... 135
6.5.2.3.1. Coverb Phrase (COV + LOC).............136
6.5.2.3- 2. Deictic Verbs l&i ’come* and
qti 'go'................................137
6.5.2.3.3- Directional Complements shing
'ascend', xia 'descend'.............. 138
6.5.2.3*4. The main Verb......................... 1 41
6.5.2.4. Verb of Direction................. ........ 1 41
6.5.2.4.1. Transitive Verbs with Direction of
Object Specified in Relation to
the Agent Subject..................... 1 41
6.5.2.4.2. Transitive Verbs with Direction of
Object Specified in Relation to its
Environment............................142
6.5.2.4.3. Intranstive Verbs with the Direction
of the Subject Specified in Relation
to its Environment.................... 143
6.5.2.3.4. Verbs of Transaction..................144
6.5.2.3- 5. Verbs of Mental Activity........... 146
6.5.3* Use of Directional Construction to Show
Distance..........................................147
6.5.4. Place words and Extension of the Notions of
Location..........................................147
CHAPTER VII Coordination and Subordination: Their
Related Structures and Elements
7.0. Overview...............................................151
7.0. 1. Definition of Coordination......................151
7.0. 2.. Types of Coordination........................ 151
7.0. 2.1. Coordinating Conjunctions.................151
7.0. 2.2. Coordinating Disjunctions.................151
7.0. 3. Definition of Subordination.....................152
7.0. 4. Types of Subordination.......................... 152
7.1.1. Coordinating Conjunctions....................... 153
7.1.1.1. Unmarked Connectors........................ 153
7.1.1.2. Marked Coordinating Conjunctions.......... 154
7.2. Coordinating Disjunction............................ 1 76
7.2.1. Coordinating Disjunction without
Disjunctive Connectors....... .................. 1 76
7.2.2. Coordinating Disjunction with Disjunctive
Connectors........................................176
7.2.2.1. Nominal Coordinating Disjunctions......... 178
7.2.2.2. Verbal Coordinating Disjunctions.......... 180
7.2.3* Sentential Coordinating Disjunctions...........192
7*3* Subordination......................................... 207
7.3.1. Subordinated Sentences of Reason............... 207
7.3.2. Subordinated Sentences of Condition............ 209
7 .3 .3. Subordinate Sentences of Exclusion............. 212
7.3.4. Subordinated Sentences of Consequence.......... 213
7.3.5. Verb-in-Series Construction.....................215
7.3.2. Relativization...................................216
CHAPTER VIII Context and Antecedent: Meaning and Use
of the Language
8.0. Overview............................................... 219
8.0. 1. Beyond the Immediate Sentence................... 219
8.0. 2. Understanding the LanguageU se Situation.......220
8.0. 3. Communication and Knowledge of the World.......222
8.0. 4 Between You and Me: Hearer-Speaker
Relationships.................................... 226
8.0. 5. Try to Make Sense...............................231
8.1. Reference: Various Kinds of Devices for
Effective Communication...............................235
8.1.0. Introduction to the Use of Determinatives:
Defining ’Definiteness', ’Sepcificity ',
’Presupposition', etc............................235
8.1.2. Singular Determinatives......................... 240
8.1.2.1. Demonstrative Determinatives...............241
8.1.2.2. Specifying Determinatives.................. 242
8.1.2.2.1. The 'mdi ' Groups......................243
8.1.2.2.2. The ' ling ’ Group......................244
8.1.2.2.3. The 'qi5n Group.......................246
8.1.3. Plural Determinatives............................249
8.1.3.1. Quantitative Determinatives................249
8.1.3.2. Numeral Determinatives..................... 253
8.2. Use of Pronouns:Pronominalization,Reflexivization,
and Omission...........................................255
8.2.0. Overview: Why Use Proforms - 'One for All'.... 255
8.2.1. Use of ndi/na for 'it/that'..................... 256
8.2.2. Use of ta/tSmen for Restricted Object.......... 258
8.2.3. Use of wp/wQmen' and nj/n^man.................... 259
8.2.4. Use of zijj, and Reflexiviation..................261
8.3. Use of Special Constructions......................... 263
8.3.0. Overview: Functions of EpecialS yntactic
Construction..................................... 263
8.3.1. Bq-construction.................................. 263
8.3.2. Be~i -construction................................. 264
8.2.2. Closing Remarks.................................. 266
L I S T OF F I G U R E S
Figure 6.1. Conjuncts......................................... 55
L I S T OF T A B L E S
TABLE 1. OCCURRENCE OF POSTVERBAL ADVERBIALS ................ 43
TABLE 2. Relative Time Words................ .............116-117
TABLE 3. Syllablic Position Words.............................248
CHAPTER V The Noun Phrase:Its Related Structures and
Elements
5.1. Classification of .Nouns
5.1.1. Prefixes
Animate nouns may take prefixes a-, ljio- or x iqo-, and
inanimate nouns may take the prefixes di-, tou-, or chu-.
5.1 .1 .1 . Animate Nouns
(i) Prefix a-
Human nouns sometimes take the prefix a-, primarily
in cases of direct address. Examples are:
a. a-yi 'mother's sister'
b. a-ge 'older brother'
c. a-jie 'older sister'
d. a-di 'younger brother'
e. a-mei 'younger sister'
f. a -Wdng or a-Li an inf
'Wang' or 'Li' (similar to
lao-Wang or lao-Li)
g. a-blngge an informal expression for 'soldiers'
a-bingjie an informal expression for 'females in
the military service'
In the above e x a m p l e s , a s a prefix has its origins in
Southern Chinese dialects. Examples (a) - (g) are used
frequently, especially in Taiwanese. Examples (g) seem to
have a recent origin in Taiwan and are used there
exclusively.
1
Generally, a noun in Chinese does not take an adverb as
its direct modifier. However, there are a few exceptions in
which nouns are directly modified by do the adverb bu.
Examples are:
1 . bu zhOng bu x I 'neither Chinese nor Western.
2. bil s3n bu si 'incongruous in shape, appearance, or
manner'
3. bu fa zhi tu 'lawless elements in a society'
4. bil_ _l_u_n_ __b_u_ _l_e_i 'grotesque, incongruous'
The above exceptions may be considered as set phrases or
common usages.
(ii) Prefixes lqo-/xiao-
Bot h human and non-
lqo- or xiao-.
Some an;imal name:
a. lqo-hq ' tiger'
b. lqo-shq 'mouse'
c. lao-ylng 'eagle'
The prefix xiao- ma
mean 'young ' or 'sma:
d. xiao-niao 'littl<
e. xiao-gou ' littli
The anim al names 1i
the prefix xiao- to mean 'cub':
f. xiqo-lao-shq 'baby mouse'
g. xiqo-lao-ylng 'eaglet'
2
L40 and xiao sometimes appear as prefixes before
surnames: (1) The prefixing of lao- to a monosyllabic
surname has the same social effect as dropping the
title xiansheng 'Mr.'. It increases the degree of
acquaintance by no longer requiring the use of
titles, but has not advanced to the the informality
simplified by use of first name only, a practice
similar to the English. However, this practice is
used mainly in reference to males, and does not apply
to two-syllable name, such as Ouydng, Zhugq, Sima,
S_ftu , etc. (2) The prefixing of xiiL°- to a
monosyllabic surname is used when the addresser and
the addressee are long-time acquaintances, and in
general, the latter is younger than the former.
(iii) Ordering of seniority among one’s siblings:
(1) Lao-da means ’the oldest among one's siblings',
Lao-Sr means ’ the second to the oldest among
one’s siblings', and so on.
(2) Xiao-b5 or xigo-j iq suggests that s/he is the
'youngest among his/her siblings'. However, the
exact expression for the youngest sibling is lqo-
yao.
There is a set of traditional honorific and humble
forms in polite speech by which the addresser makes
use of such prefixes as j i a - or she- to refer to
his/her own relatives.
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a. j ia-fu 'my father'
b. jia-mu 'my mother'
or:
c. she-di 'my younger brother'
d. she-mei 'my younger sister'
On the other hand, one would use the prefix ling- in
polite speech to refer to the addressee's relatives:
e. ling-xiong ' your older brother'
f. ling-jie ' your older sister'
g. ling-lctng ' your son'
h. 1ing-ai ' your daughter'
i . ling-zun ' your father'
j • 1 ing-tcing ' your mother'
Such honorifics and humble forms are no longer
current and are generally restricted only to the
written language. The once frequently-used honorific
prefix gui- (you, your) and the humble prefix bi-
(I, my) are no longer used in ordinary daily
conversation.
Several polite address forms with the prefix lqo-
are mainly used in direct address. Some examples are:
k. ljo-xiong 'you (male)'
l. lqo-ban 'boss'
m. lao-shl 'teacher'
4