Abstract
The essence of the subjective meaning of hÃÆ'Ã"šÃ‚¡i(还) is counter-expectation,derived from its basic meaning of continuation of a situation. Counter-expectation is a conventionalized inference of surprise at the continuation of a situation when that continuation is not expected. Profiling speakersââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ attitudes towards an objective situation, counter-expectation can explain various uses of hÃÆ'Ã"šÃ‚¡i in modern spoken Chinese that cannot be accounted for by the basic, objective meaning of hÃÆ'Ã"šÃ‚¡i. Objective and subjective meanings of hÃÆ'Ã"šÃ‚¡i coexist in modern Chinese and the adverbial hÃÆ'Ã"šÃ‚¡i may display either an objective or a subjective meaning, or both in varying degrees in different contexts. The synchronic polysemy of hÃÆ'Ã"šÃ‚¡i reflects the adverbialââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s diachronic path of semantic change.
| Translated title of the contribution | The subjective use of the adverbial hái |
|---|---|
| Original language | Chinese (Simplified) |
| Pages (from-to) | 322-333 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Shijie Hanyun Jiaoxue (Chinese Teaching in the World) - Journal of the International Society for Chinese language Teaching |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
Keywords
- Chinese language
- adverbials
- grammar, comparative and general
- linguistics
- polysemy
- subjectivity