Dingxu Shi

Topic and Topic-Comment Constructions in Mandarin Chinese.

This article attempts to provide a precise definition for topic and to derive most of the properties of topic from this definition. The main assumption is that the topic-comment construction is a syntactic device employed to fulfill certain discourse functions. Topic is always related to a position inside the comment. Since topic has no independent thematic role but always depends on an element inside the comment for its thematic role, it has no syntactic function of its own. This dependence relationship is subject to locality constraints.

The nature of chinese emphatic sentences

Chinese emphatic sentences are usually referred to asshi...de constructions. Contrary to common assumptions,de should not be analyzed as a nominalizer andshi not a copula in emphatic sentences. It is argued in this paper thatshi is a modal verb and the primary marker of emphatic sentences whilede only has a secondary function, most likely as an aspect marker. Emphaticshi cannot appear in the main clause of a relative clause nor can it co-occur in the same clause with a WH-element or a V-not-V verb unless the WH-element is being emphasized orshi takes the V-not-V form.Shi cannot c-command WH-elements or V-not-V verbs that have a scope over it, either. The distribution of emphaticshi in relative clauses is regulated by the Spec-head agreement; and its distribution in WH-questions and A-not-A questions is accounted for on the basis of the conflict in emphasis domain, which arises when two emphatic variables have the same domain.

The nature of Chinese Wh-questions

The scope properties of Chinese Wh-elements, which are in situ in the syntax, are usually accounted for by assuming that they are raised at LF as operators. Not only does such an account rely on costly stipulations but it also fails to generalize to Whelements which are not XPs. The proposal here is that Wh-elements be treated as variables bound by aquestion (Q) operator which assigns scope to the Wh-elements in its domain. The Q operator can be attached to a verb and realized as the A-not-A form of the verb when there is no Wh-element in its domain. The Q operator, including the one realized as the A-not-A verb form, is raised at LF to satisfy selectional restrictions and its movement is regulated by the standard constraints. The scope properties of Wh-elements and the distribution of A-not-A verbs are accounted for within the current theoretical framework without further stipulation.

Specification for segmentation and named entity annotation of chinese classics in the ming and qing dynasties

The quality of text segmentation and annotation plays a significant role in Natural Language Processing especially in downstream applications. This paper presents the specification for word segmentation and named entity annotation targeted for novels in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The purpose of this work is to build the foundational work for computer-aided lexical semantic analysis of classical Chinese literature, especially the transition of Chinese literature from its traditional forms such as traditional verses and vernacular styles to modern Chinese. To assist in literature study, an elaborate named entity annotation scheme is specially developed for classical Chinese. Computer-aided segmentation and named entity annotation are conducted on some famous Ming and Qing Chinese classics. The specification for the segmentation and annotation is produced based on the studies of the morphology and semantics differences as well as similarities between classical Chinese and modern Chinese with reference to the existing standards for modern Chinese processing widely used in Mainland China and Taiwan.

A New Categorization Framework for Chinese Adverbs

Previous studies on the categorization of Chinese adverbs have not come to a conclusive end, in part due to their varying criteria. While many studies have focused on subcategories of adverbs, the boundaries of the subcategories themselves are not clear. As a result, there is still no clear picture where Chinese adverbs stand in the whole field of Chinese semantics. In addition, not enough features have been explored in order to derive highly cohesive categories. In this paper, we present a new categorization framework for Chinese adverbs. Firstly, four coarse-grained categories are proposed according to the semantic structures of sentences, including the proposition, modalities, aspect and other meaning components. Then, several semantic and syntactic features are used to further divide the four categories into more than ninety finer-grained subcategories. Based on the new framework, we find that adverbs in the same category function in similar ways, both semantically and syntactically.

Morpheme Inversion in Disyllabic Compounds—Cases in Chinese Diachronic Corpora

Morpheme inversion is a significant lexical phenomenon in the evolution of Chinese words, and it poses additional difficulties in Chinese word segmentation, especially in computer processing of Chinese classics. This paper reports a study on the disyllabic morpheme-inverted compounds in the Chinese diachronic corpora from the perspective of natural language processing. The corpora include two pre-Qin classics and four notable novels created in the Ming and Qing dynasties, in which words are segmented and proper nouns are tagged. Based on the full statistics and analysis, a comparative study is carried out on the use of disyllabic morpheme-inverted compounds in the two types of Chinese text, that is, historical works and fictions. Results show that there are many more morpheme-inverted compounds in the Ming-Qing novels than in the pre-Qin classics in terms of both lexical item and frequency. The morpheme-inverted compounds in the Ming-Qing novels are also closer to their modern counterparts.

A Statistical Approach to the Contextual Effect on the Comprehension of Metaphorical Uses of Polysemous Words

This paper analyzes the contextual effect on the metaphorical uses of polysemous words in the China EFL learning environment through a statistical approach. It is proved that appropriate context (i.e. the context which is no more difficult than the current understanding levels of and shares familiar topics with the subjects) best help the learner acquire the metaphorical uses of polysemous words. Implications on EFL teaching, learning, testing and syllabus designing are further given.

Quality Assurance for Segmentation and Tagging of Chinese Novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

This paper presents a word segmentation and named entity tagging project which annotates Chinese novels in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Computer-aided tools are used to assist the annotation. The focus of this paper will be on the quality assurance measures to ensure precision and consistency. The specification for word segmentation and named entity tagging is formulated based on the standards for modern Chinese segmentation commonly used in Mainland China and in Taiwan as well as the analysis of differences between Chinese classics and modern Chinese. The specification is established through iterative refinements. This refinement process can offer valuable insights into the quality control of computer-aided processing performed on Chinese literature works in the Ming and Qing dynasties and can be applied to those in even earlier periods. The finalized corpus, built in a computer-aided, manually-reviewed method in accordance with the specification, can be used for researches in literature, linguistics, information technology, and teaching of Chinese.