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- Title
Linguistic Form and Function: Expression of Countability in Chinese wh-Phrases.
- Authors
Aijun Huang
- Abstract
The present paper investigates the relationship between form (morpho-syntax) and function (semantic interpretation) as involved in the expression of countability in the Chinese whpronoun system. We focus on three wh-pronouns: duo-shao 'much-little', duo-shao-ge 'much-little-Classifier', and ji-ge 'how many-Classifier'. Based on the examination of the interpretation and distribution of these wh-phrases in three distinct linguistic contexts (questions, bare conditionals, and negative statements), we generalize that while duo-shao functions as an indeterminate determiner, duo-shao-ge and ji-ge function as two count determiners. This generalization invites the conclusion that the morpho-syntax of these whphrases, particularly, the presence/absence of a classifier, determines and shapes their semantic interpretation in countability. From a more general perspective, the present study suggests that a linguistic form determines its own linguistic functions.
- Subjects
CHINESE language; SYNTAX (Grammar); PRONOUNS (Grammar); CLASSIFIERS (Linguistics); PSYCHOLINGUISTICS; MORPHOLOGY (Grammar)
- Publication
Language & Semiotic Studies, 2015, Vol 1, Issue 4, p34
- ISSN
2096-031X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1515/lass-2015-010403