Classification of Mandarin Chinese simple adjectives : a scale-based analysis of their quantitative denotations
This work provides an analysis of the quantitative denotations of simple adjectives (base adjectival forms) in Mandarin Chinese following recent analyses of the ‘scale structure’ associated with English adjectives. Against a widely accepted assumption that simple adjectives unitarily denote an unbou...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2018
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/83336 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/45243 |
| _version_ | 1826120960905838592 |
|---|---|
| author | Lin, Jingxia Peck, Jeeyoung |
| author2 | School of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| author_facet | School of Humanities and Social Sciences Lin, Jingxia Peck, Jeeyoung |
| author_sort | Lin, Jingxia |
| collection | NTU |
| description | This work provides an analysis of the quantitative denotations of simple adjectives (base adjectival forms) in Mandarin Chinese following recent analyses of the ‘scale structure’ associated with English adjectives. Against a widely accepted assumption that simple adjectives unitarily denote an unbounded property, we assume that the property of boundedness in adjectives is situated in the notion of gradability, and identify a group of simple adjectives that are actually bounded. We further provide a finer-grained classification of Chinese simple adjectives based on the different scale structures associated with individual adjectives: non-scale adjectives, open-scale adjectives, lower-closed-scale adjectives, upper-closed-scale adjectives and totally-closed-scale adjectives. Each type is linguistically distinguishable in natural Chinese data. Our classification provides a unified account of the distinctive syntactic and semantic characteristics of individual adjectives that cannot be explained by previous studies. This study also demonstrates a cross-linguistic and cross-categorical application of the scale-structure-based analysis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T05:24:58Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/83336 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T05:24:58Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/833362020-03-07T12:10:37Z Classification of Mandarin Chinese simple adjectives : a scale-based analysis of their quantitative denotations Lin, Jingxia Peck, Jeeyoung School of Humanities and Social Sciences Mandarin Chinese Quantitative Denotations This work provides an analysis of the quantitative denotations of simple adjectives (base adjectival forms) in Mandarin Chinese following recent analyses of the ‘scale structure’ associated with English adjectives. Against a widely accepted assumption that simple adjectives unitarily denote an unbounded property, we assume that the property of boundedness in adjectives is situated in the notion of gradability, and identify a group of simple adjectives that are actually bounded. We further provide a finer-grained classification of Chinese simple adjectives based on the different scale structures associated with individual adjectives: non-scale adjectives, open-scale adjectives, lower-closed-scale adjectives, upper-closed-scale adjectives and totally-closed-scale adjectives. Each type is linguistically distinguishable in natural Chinese data. Our classification provides a unified account of the distinctive syntactic and semantic characteristics of individual adjectives that cannot be explained by previous studies. This study also demonstrates a cross-linguistic and cross-categorical application of the scale-structure-based analysis. Accepted version 2018-07-26T03:38:59Z 2019-12-06T15:20:14Z 2018-07-26T03:38:59Z 2019-12-06T15:20:14Z 2016 Journal Article Lin, J., & Peck, J. (2016). Classification of Mandarin Chinese simple adjectives : a scale-based analysis of their quantitative denotations. Language and Linguistics, 17(6), 827-855. 1606-822X https://hdl.handle.net/10356/83336 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/45243 10.1177/1606822X16649845 en Language and Linguistics © 2016 The Author(s) (published by SAGE Publications). This is the author created version of a work that has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication by Language and Linguistics, The Author(s) (published by SAGE Publications). It incorporates referee’s comments but changes resulting from the publishing process, such as copyediting, structural formatting, may not be reflected in this document. The published version is available at: [http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1606822X16649845]. 29 p. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Mandarin Chinese Quantitative Denotations Lin, Jingxia Peck, Jeeyoung Classification of Mandarin Chinese simple adjectives : a scale-based analysis of their quantitative denotations |
| title | Classification of Mandarin Chinese simple adjectives : a scale-based analysis of their quantitative denotations |
| title_full | Classification of Mandarin Chinese simple adjectives : a scale-based analysis of their quantitative denotations |
| title_fullStr | Classification of Mandarin Chinese simple adjectives : a scale-based analysis of their quantitative denotations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Classification of Mandarin Chinese simple adjectives : a scale-based analysis of their quantitative denotations |
| title_short | Classification of Mandarin Chinese simple adjectives : a scale-based analysis of their quantitative denotations |
| title_sort | classification of mandarin chinese simple adjectives a scale based analysis of their quantitative denotations |
| topic | Mandarin Chinese Quantitative Denotations |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/83336 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/45243 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT linjingxia classificationofmandarinchinesesimpleadjectivesascalebasedanalysisoftheirquantitativedenotations AT peckjeeyoung classificationofmandarinchinesesimpleadjectivesascalebasedanalysisoftheirquantitativedenotations |