Lexicalisation patterns in Japanese and Chinese

A synchronic and a diachronic perspective

Wenchao Li
Zhejiang University

This study brings a synchronic and a diachronic perspective to the study of lexicalisation in Japanese and Chinese, with focuses upon motion and change-of-state constructions. It aims to uncover how the lexical, morphological and syntactic resources of the two languages play essential roles when it comes to deciding which component of events is characteristically rendered and with what preference. Synchronically, the two languages show a certain degree of similarity in the way they render the core schema of an event, such as through verb compounds. The morpho-syntatic level mainly facilities lexicalisation in Modern Japanese and it turns out that Japanese is not a pure verb-framed language: events with path conveyed via verb root, open-scale AP, means/caused/manner V-V, complement relation V-V, and participle complex predicate exhibit verb-framed behaviour, events with path rendered by closed-scale AP, PP suggest satellite framing, and events with path conflated in pair relation V-V present equipollent framing. Lexicalisation occurs at the level of lexical and syntactic interface in Modern Chinese.

The finding brings us to the point that equipollent framing is not valid in relation to Chinese SVCs, as the multi-morphemes in SVCs are not equipollent. This is probably down to the different degrees of grammaticalisation that each constituent has received. Diachronically, Japanese and Chinese have undeniable similarities in favouring a single verb to convey the core schema but meanwhile the two present distinctions in regard to morphology, i.e. prefix, preverb, and incorporated noun. A proposal to treat the intralinguistic and cross-linguistic variation is put forward: it is the distinct grammatical elements and the way they are selected and combined that facilitate the determination of lexicalisation.

ISBN 9783862883738. LINCOM Studies in Asian Linguistics 79. 196 pp. 2012.

Situ in Situ

Towards a Dialectology of Jiarong (rGyalrong)

Jesse P. Gates
Trinity Western University

The language varieties classified under the official ISO heading Jiarong [ISO 639-3: jya], a.k.a. rGyalrong, spoken in parts of the mountainous north-western Sìchuān province of China, have been generally accepted as a single, distinct, synchronic language belonging to the rGyalrongic subgroup within Tibeto-Burman. The research provided in this thesis casts doubt on the hypothesis that rGyalrong is a single synchronic language and reveals some of the previously undocumented variation within rGyalrongic.

The research in this study provides evidence that intelligibility of a represent-ative lect from the east-central rGyalrongic region is low among speakers of many lects in the southern rGyalrongic region. In addition, ethnic identity at the lowest embedded layer is not cohesive throughout the rGyalrongic regions. Language attitudes, contact, ethnohistory, perceptual dialectology, core lexical comparisons, and structural comparisons are also examined. As a result rGyalrong emerges as five distinct languages Situ, South-central, Japhug, Tshobdun, Zbuwith Situ and Japhug having the most robust evidence. This study integrates the field research of the authorincluding the first rigorous intelligibility testing among rGyalrongic language varieties as well as previous research by external sources.

ISBN 9783862884728. LINCOM Studies in Asian Linguistics 80. 172pp. 2014.

Fuzhou tonal acoustics and tonology

Cathryn Donohue
University of Hong Kong

The Fuzhou variety of Chinese belongs to the Min dialect group, spoken in the capital of Fujian province. It is known for its complex tonal system, 'alternating' vowels, and complicated right dominant tone sandhi. However, previous descriptions have typically been based on auditory impressions of a single speaker. This study presents the first multi-speaker acoustic quantification of the citation tones in Fuzhou. Using two male and two female speakers, mean fundamental frequency and duration data for the citation tones are presented and discussed before the data is normalized across speakers to factor out any between-speaker variation.

The physiology of tone production in Fuzhou is explored through amplitude measurements, indirectly assessing the possible role of vocal cord tension (VCT) and subglottal pressure (Ps) through application of the model presented in Monsen et al. (1978) which extends the Ishizaka-Flanagan two-mass model of vocal-fold vibration. In this study, both VCT and Ps were found to be equally important for tonal production. The tonal phonology of Fuzhou is also examined. First, two major studies are reviewed (Chan 1985 and Yip 1990) before new data for the disyllabic tone sandhi is presented.

Analyses of these data using two different models (Autosegmental Phonology and an approach using traditional Chinese tonal categories) are then explored and compared.

All the data from the study are presented in the appendices.

ISBN 9783862885220 (Hardbound). LINCOM Studies in Asian Linguistics 82. 204pp. 2013.

Jeju Language and Tales from the Edge of the Korean Peninsula

Jieun Kiaer
University of Oxford

This is the first book to be written in English about the Jeju language, a living language still spoken on Jeju Island, situated to the south of the Korean peninsula. As such, this book will appeal to those interested in Korean linguistics as well as those interested in the study of rare and endangered languages.

Organised into a preliminary section on the language of Jeju itself, before an extensive look at the Jeju language as captured in the stories spoken on the island, along with modern Korean and English translations, this book offers a cultural, as well as linguistic, window onto the history of what was once written off as the wilds to the south of Korea, fit only for exiles. A volcanic island subject to intense winds and surging oceanic currents, the geography of Jeju Island shapes its language, as this book shows. Situated between Korea, China and Japan, the language of Jeju is a melting pot of various cultural influences. For stories of dragons, stones, female divers and more, read on.

ISBN 9783862885527 (Hardbound). LINCOM Studies in Asian Linguistics 83. 340pp. 2014.

Research in Tōng-Tài Dialect Phonology

By Gu Qian
Nánjīng University

Translated by Richard VanNess Simmons
Rutgers University
The Tōng-Tài dialects are a branch of the Jiāng-Huái Mandarin dialects located in the Tàizhōu region on the northern side of the Yangtze watershed in Jiāngsū. Located just across the river from the Wú dialect region to the south, the Tōng-Tài dialects form the southernmost edge of the vast Mandarin dialect area to the north. The Tōng-Tài dialects are the most complex variety of Mandarin, evidencing characteristics of great value to the understanding of the history of Mandarin and Chinese dialect phonology.

The present study, Research in Tōng-Tài Dialect Phonology, by Gù Qián of Nánjīng University is based on extensive fieldwork in the region and is the most comprehensive study of this dialect group available. It begins with a brief introduction to the dialect area’s geography, population, and history, followed by an overview of historical studies of the Tōng-Tài dialects. The core of the book is a comparative synchronic and diachronic study of Tōng-Tài dialect phonology, including the initial consonants, main vowels and endings, tones, and rhyme structure. The book also contains a comprehensive presentation of the common Tōng-Tài phonological system, with reference to Middle Chinese and within the context of Mandarin in general. The Appendices to the volume provide a comprehensive inventory of Tōng-Tài morphosyllables as well as an extensive lexicon of forms and words unique to the Tōng-Tài dialects.

ISBN 9783862886258 (Hardbound). LINCOM Studies in Asian Linguistics 84. 400pp. 2015.