Christine Lamarre

The Linguistic Categorization of Deictic Direction in Chinese — with Reference to Japanese —

This paper discusses the linguistic categorization of deictic direction in Mandarin Chinese, with reference to Japanese. It focuses on the following question: to what extent should the prevalent bimorphemic (nondeictic+deictic) structure of Chinese directionals be linked to its typological features as a satellite-framed language. We know from other satellite-framed languages such as English, Hungarian, and Russian, that this feature is not necessarily directly connected to satellite-framed patterns. Furthermore, verb-framed languages like Korean or Japanese also frequently combine deictic and non deictic paths in the same verb complex. Our conclusion is that the typological behavior of a language from the viewpoint of Talmy’s typology (Verb-framed vs. Satellite-framed) has no direct bearing on its choice of bipartite encoding of paths (deictic together with nondeictic). However, these typological features likely exert an indirect influence on the strategies used by a language to combine deictic paths, nondeictic paths, and the manner or cause of motion in a same verb complex, and ultimately also on the frequency of using deictic paths. We conclude that in order to understand why the overt linguistic expression of deictic direction is prevalent in some languages and not in others, we must take into account at least two different levels of linguistic organization, one pertaining to the syntactic devices expressing causativity and change of state, the other pertaining to the semantic devices through which languages express subjectivity.

A contrastive study of the linguistic encoding of motion events in Standard Chinese and in the Guanzhong dialect of Mandarin (Shaanxi)

In Standard Chinese, locative phrases placed after verbs that express the manner or cause of motion typically express the GOAL of the motion, but also sometimes express the SOURCE, the ROUTE, or the DIRECTION. Here we discuss the linguistic encoding of motion events in the Guanzhong dialect, a non-standard variety of Chinese Mandarin, focusing on that particular issue. We show that the only semantic role that postverbal locative phrases can play in the Guanzhong dialect is that of the GOAL (BOUNDED PATH). This constraint is to be connected with the resultative construction, and indicates a stricter correlation between meaning and form than in Standard Chinese.

Chinese Semelfactives and Body Movements

In searching for internal evidence for a class of semelfactive predicates in Standard Mandarin, we investigate an aspect-sensitive marker, preverbal yī ‘one’, that exhibits strong affinity with semelfactive predicates. The verbs that typically enter this pattern show a striking similarity with those labeled as semelfactives in other languages, mostly body movements and facial expressions, likely to be construed as atomic, countable events. Preverbal yī is mainly used in narratives to express past punctiliar events with no consequent state in a chain of actions, and conveys a nuance of “suddenness”. Associated with other types of predicates, it activates the semantic features linked with semelfactivity, i.e. punctiliarity and atelicity. The “yī V” pattern discussed here is to be distinguished from another pattern where yī functions as a connector and means ‘as soon as’, which is compatible with various types of predicates.

Faits de Langues n° 17: coréen-japonais

Lamarre Christine. Faits de Langues n° 17: coreen-japonais. In: Cahiers de linguistique - Asie orientale, vol. 32 1, 2003. pp. 143-150.