Telicity and object position in Taiwanese Southern Min and Hakka

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-357
Author(s):  
Chyan-an Arthur Wang ◽  
Hsiao-hung Iris Wu
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Structural Properties ◽  
Previous Treatment ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Structural Theory ◽  
Object Position ◽  
Lexical Aspect ◽  
Southern Min ◽  
Feature Checking ◽  
Taiwanese Southern Min

AbstractThis paper investigates the phenomena of obligatory object preposing in Taiwanese Southern Min (TSM) and Hakka. We first refute the previous treatment of having the information-structural theory as an exclusive account of TSM and Hakka obligatory object preposing and show that telicity is another important dimension to object prespoing in the two languages. In particular, object preposing always takes place when a given verb bears a designated telicity marker, independent of the referential and information structural properties of its object. Consistent with recent work on the syntax of lexical aspect that telic readings are reflected in certain syntactic configurations, we suggest that in TSM and Hakka, telicity involves feature checking of the verb and its objects in the checking domain of a functional projection InAspP. For a theme argument to be able to measure out an event, it must enter an Agree relationship with the [telic] feature in InAsp, which has the edge property that triggers movement of the theme to its specifier. The proposed aspectual structure is further supported by distributional and interpretational properties including object preposing asymmetry, height of interpretation site of ambiguous adverbials, as well as the distribution of time-frame adjuncts and durative adjuncts.

Idioms in Verb-object Constructions

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-209
Author(s):  
Chinfa Lien
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Intimate Relationship ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Object Construction ◽  
Southern Min ◽  
Semantic Compositionality ◽  
Personal Behavior ◽  
Semantic Distinction ◽  
Tripartite Relationship ◽  
Taiwanese Southern Min

This paper examines the issues of idioms in verb-object constructions in Taiwanese Southern Min and Mandarin. The idioms in question fall into two categories: (1) idioms that express a personal behavior, and (2) idioms that show an interpersonal relationship. The second type can be further divided into two subtypes: (2a) cases where only two parties are involved, and (2b) cases that feature a tripartite relationship. Such a semantic distinction carries its syntactic consequences. There is also a fine-grained distinction among idioms in terms of degree of semantic compositionality: (1) idioms that are characterized by an absolute non-compositionality, and (2) idioms in which the meanings of some constituents are calculatable in terms of the mechanism of metaphor. Some idioms of the former type can be analyed vis-a-vis the pivot based upon homophony. Referntiality of the object in the verb-object construction has an intimate relationship with its syntactic flexibility.

Semantic and Pragmatic Analyses of Terms of Address in Taiwanese Southern Min

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-189
Author(s):  
Li-Hsueh Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Distance ◽  
Third Parties ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Speech Event ◽  
Direct Address ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Southern Min ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Taiwanese Southern Min

According to Chao (1956:230) terms of address in Chinese fall into three categories: vocative terms, designative terms and learned terms. Vocative terms are terms of direct address. Designative terms are used to refer to third parties. Learned terms are often used in epistolary style and scientific description. The main concern of this paper is vocative terms and designative terms. This paper will also examine self-addressing terms that Chao does not deal with. These three types of terms of address are referred to collectively as colloquial terms of address. The theoretical framework of the present paper for the study of the use of terms of addresses in Taiwanese Southern Min (TSM for short) is based on theoretical approaches of previous studies on terms of address in modern Mandarin (Gu 1990:248-252) as well as principles of sociolinguistics (Holmes 1992:372-376). Building on earlier studies, this paper aims at fleshing out the semantic features of different types of terms of address and their characteristics in TSM. The pivotal consideration is the speech event that takes place between speaker and hearer. I will then compare the differences in the use of terms of address between TSM and Mandarin, and explore the intriguing phenomena concerning the conflict between the use of kinship terms of address and self-denigration. The extended use of kinship terms bears on issues of solidarity / social distance and status / power.

Formulaic Binomials, Morphosymbolism, and Behaghel's Law: The Grammatical Status of Expressive Iconicity

2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. V. Southern
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Structural Properties ◽  
Linguistic Structure ◽  
West Germanic

This paper considers the linguistic status of West Germanic alliterative, formulaic, syntactically tight pairs. These hendiadys binomials are phonetically interwoven, phrasally autonomous units. Echoic reduplication, including hendiadys, is a common way for language to generate iconic forms. Building on recent work on sound-symbolic expressives, iconicity, and the significance of poetic features (compression, phrasal symmetry) for language, this study argues that alliterative binomials are fundamentally affective, with proverb-like sentential characteristics, deriving idiomatic force from their iconically self-signaling structural properties. Like Stabreim, phonetically reinforced and with reciprocally highlighted components, they define a cohesive utterance (saying, phrase, metrical line). In this they share phrase-level contour properties with Behaghel's Law, which shapes the linguistic structure of day-to-day poetics, particularly in fixed idioms. The inquiry examines phrasal syntax, phrase-level iconicity and expressive symbolism, and the poetics of folk-discourse genres, reflecting language's structure.*

Targeted and Targetless Neutral Tones in Taiwanese Southern Min

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Cheng-yen Liu ◽  
Feng-fan Hsieh ◽  
Yueh-chin Chang
Keyword(s):  
Southern Min ◽  
Taiwanese Southern Min
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