A new approach to an old problem : on Chinese discourse LE

The particle le is one of the more frequently used and discussed, but least understood, elements in Chinese grammar. The NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) research project 'On Chinese Discourse LE,' undertaken collaboratively by Marinus van den Berg, Chinese Department, Leiden University, and Guo Wu, School of Marketing, International Business, and Asian Studies, The University of Western Sydney, Nepean, Australia, is an effort to approach this old problem from a new (discourse) perspective. The overall goal of the project is to develop a pragmatic functional framework that will allow for the description and explanation of the various functions of the particle Ie in an interactive context. The approach can then be extended to other particles and various grammatical processes employed by the Chinese language so as to produce 'A Chinese Discourse Grammar.' During the six-month period from July to December 1998 we first focused on issues of the historical development of the discourse particle and thereafter constructed a discourse model that incorporated social interaction and the cognitive constructions underlying the understanding of discourse. The model was also based on earlier joint research and on recent studies in mental space theories. It was inspired by many hours of discussions of a large number of interactive examples of the use of Ie and tested on a wider data set including ten children stories, two plays, several short stories published in Chinese literary journals, and examples of everyday conversations. This paper is a brief account of our research on the particle, relevant historical data, the theoretical framework, and the way the particle is handled within that framework.