The role of the copula 是 si7 in the construal of focus structure in early Southern Min Chinfa Lien Abstract：The paper explores the role of the copula 是 si7 in the interpretation of the focus structure in early Southern Min playscripts. I examine the configuration of 是 si7 with respect to a range of functional/lexical categories such as kinds of adverbs, types of modals, voice (featuring causativity and passitivity), aspect, and negation as well as verb and noun phrases. I also put forward tree structures showing how focus vis-à-vis topic in cleft and pseudo-cleft clauses with 是 si7 as the pivot are derived. In a nutshell,

A semantic-syntactic analysis of Chao's sentences with a verbal subject and a nominal predicate (in Chinese) Zhongru Xiong Abstract:The clause can be divided into three layers: the thematic layer, the inflectional layer and the discourse layer, within which there exist the corresponding logical subject, grammatical subject and psychological subject. Topicalization belongs to A'-movement which involves an argument and an adjunct. For Chao's sentences with a verbal subject and a nominal predicate (CS, for short), the topicalized elements are complement clauses and adverbial clauses. The complement clause is the nominal predicate's argument in CS, acting as the predicate's logical subject, such as 'bu xiayu' in 'bu xiayu

On the raison d'être of the notion of Sprachbund, with special reference to languages in China Pui Yiu Szeto 摘要:語言聯盟 (Sprachbund) 泛指沒有親緣關係 (或關係疏遠) 的語言之間，在同一區域長期接觸下產生的結構趨同現象。雖然學界不乏關於語言聯盟的研究，但以往的研究未有具體及劃一的標準去界定何謂語言聯盟。因此，語言聯盟的概念時而模糊不清，甚至令人質疑其存在意義。有見及此，本文建議以歷史證據為基礎，去建立清晰嚴謹的標準來辨識語言聯盟。以此方法界定的語言聯盟具有相似的形成背景，從而確保彼此之間的可比性，令學者得以將研究重心置於語言接觸的機制及結果。中國歷史悠久、地大物博、族群紛雜、語種繁多，為語言聯盟的研究提供了一個重要平台。目前，中國境內最少有兩個符合嚴格標準的語言聯盟，分別為華南地區的西嶺南語言聯盟，以及西北地區的安多語言聯盟。區域內各語言族群間的密切接觸互動，不僅導致語言結構和文化風俗上的相互滲透，甚至對群體遺傳結構造成一定程度的影響。此等發現反映了語言聯盟內的族群互動現象複雜多變，故對語言學及人類學等學科皆有重大研究價值，非常值得深入探索。

Insight Article Wh & Self: On Correlating Wh-conditionals and Reflexive Doubling Wei-Tien Dylan Tsai Abstract: Chinese wh-conditionals hold a very special status in linguistic typology. Cheng and Huang (1996) argues that the construction can be properly analyzed by treating a pair of identical wh-expressions as syntactic variables unselectively bound by an implicit necessity operator. Over the years, this line of thinking has been challenged by various proposals based on the comparison with indefinites, correlatives, E-type pronouns and questions. This Insight article argues for the unselective binding approach to this particular type of donkey sentences by alluding to quantificational reflexive doubling. Our findings not only lend support to

Challenging Issues in Cantonese-English Lexicography Robert S. Bauer Abstract: At the outset of writing a bilingual Cantonese-English dictionary that is comprehensive in scope, the lexicographer confronts a series of challenging issues that are fundamental to the successful creation of such an ambitious dictionary. Among the crucial questions to be satisfactorily resolved are at least the following eight: 1) What are the principal criteria that guide the lexicographer’s selection of the Cantonese lexical items that form the contents of the bilingual dictionary? Further, what is the scope of the lexical contents? Broad, by encompassing all lexical items that occur in the speech of Hong Kong Cantonese speakers, even

Tracing variation in Old Chinese: What, if anything, was “Yǎyán 雅言”? Wolfgang Behr Abstract:Based on the single pre-Qin attestation of the compound yǎyán 雅言 in the Confucian Analects (Lúnyǔ 論語 7.18) the idea of a normative spoken standard language is often projected back by early modern and modern authors into remote pre-imperial antiquity. An overview of the conceptual history of the term and of the competing etymologies of yǎ in early Chinese texts is offered in order to problematize this “invented tradition” and its ideological baggage. Four types of evidence (uniformity of phonology and syntax in excavated texts, ode citation practices, phonophoric repair by double phonophoric

Guttural Fricatives and Initial *w- in Common Mǐn W. South Coblin Abstract :In his earlier Proto-Mǐn reconstructed phonological system the late Professor Jerry Norman posited three guttural fricative initials, i.e., *x-, *h-, and *-h-. In early unpublished manuscripts dealing with this system, *x- was classed as velar, while *h- and *-h- were described as laryngeals. Initial *x- was characterized as voiceless and *h- and *-h- as voiced. In Norman (1974), however, *h- was transcribed as phonetic [ɣ], a voiced velar (rather than laryngeal) fricative, while *-h- was interpreted as [ɦ], a voiced laryngeal. In his much more recent Common Mǐn system, as represented in certain of

The Idea of an Indigenous Chinese Grammar Hsin-I Hsieh Abstract:As Chinese linguistics encounters a more developed general linguistics, two opposite reactions emerged. One is to learn and imitate, while the other is to learn and innovate. As a visionary, William S-Y. Wang (1999) innovates. He rejected purely formal theories such as the Generative Grammar and envisioned an Indigenous Chinese Grammar (ICG) that takes culture into consideration. Echoing Wang’s seminal vision, we offer a possible ICG. We focus on the perplexing pair of cai2 才 (‘necessary’) and jiu4 就 (‘sufficient’). Both cai2 and jiu4 have divergent meanings that may be closely related, well related, remotely related, or

Understanding the Qieyun Rhymes Zhongwei Shen Abstract:This article shows that the Qieyun rhymes are not necessarily different VC units (VC = vowel and ending), as initially defined by Karlgren in his work Études sur la phonologie chinoise (1915–1926). Karlgren’s mistake creates a serious problem in the reconstruction of the vowel system of Middle Chinese. In the proposed reconstructions so far, excessive vocalic distinctions are required. This problem is well acknowledged but no explanations and solutions have been convincingly provided. Based on the information from the poetry rhyming before and at the same time of the Qieyun, our analyses of the Qieyun rhymes with the -ŋ ending

Chinese Finiteness: Changeability, Actuality, Durationality and Telicity Chaofen Sun Abstract: This paper focuses on declarative sentences to demonstrate how four major concepts: changeability, actuality, durationality and telicity, work together in shaping Chinese finite clauses. In the Chinese lexicon there are changeable and unchangeable verbs distinguished by the latter’s inability to co-occur with aspect particles in a finite clause. The changeable declaratives are further divided into two kinds: durational and nondurational, as the latter cannot occur alone without either the perfective le1 in realis, or a modal auxiliary. Moreover, the durational declaratives can occur in either irrealis modality negated by bù or realis modality negated by měi(yǒu). The