John Benjamins Publishing Company
Chapter 9. Pronouns in an 18th century Chinese novel
Abstract
The Chinese language has a five-thousand-year history, and one can track the evolution of pronouns from historical to contemporary texts. Some historical Chinese pronouns constitute complex systems. In Chinese, address systems are a more obvious indicator of politeness (Kádár 2007). However, the subtle use of pronouns in Chinese to show (im)politeness has gone quite unnoticed. In the 18th Century novel Dream of the Red Chamber, one needs to understand the social dynamics of the contexts in which the pronouns are used to know why plural pronouns are used to refer to single referents and second-person and third-person singular pronouns are used to refer to more than one referents.
The novel features the complex social hierarchy within an influential family where each person is mindful of his position in the web of social strata. Therefore, it is vital to understand the social hierarchy of the speakers, interlocutors, and referents to understand why such discrepancies occur. These discrepancies between pronouns and referents indicate the attitudes of the speakers towards the people they are speaking or referring to, functioning like a social index showing attitudes in the context of hierarchical social networks.
Abstract
The Chinese language has a five-thousand-year history, and one can track the evolution of pronouns from historical to contemporary texts. Some historical Chinese pronouns constitute complex systems. In Chinese, address systems are a more obvious indicator of politeness (Kádár 2007). However, the subtle use of pronouns in Chinese to show (im)politeness has gone quite unnoticed. In the 18th Century novel Dream of the Red Chamber, one needs to understand the social dynamics of the contexts in which the pronouns are used to know why plural pronouns are used to refer to single referents and second-person and third-person singular pronouns are used to refer to more than one referents.
The novel features the complex social hierarchy within an influential family where each person is mindful of his position in the web of social strata. Therefore, it is vital to understand the social hierarchy of the speakers, interlocutors, and referents to understand why such discrepancies occur. These discrepancies between pronouns and referents indicate the attitudes of the speakers towards the people they are speaking or referring to, functioning like a social index showing attitudes in the context of hierarchical social networks.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Chapter 1. N-V-T, a framework for the analysis of social dynamics in address pronouns 17
- Chapter 2. When we means you 35
- Chapter 3. A socio-semiotic approach to the personal pronominal system in Brazilian Portuguese 57
- Chapter 4. Address pronouns and alternatives 75
- Chapter 5. T-V address practices in Italian 99
- Chapter 6. Forms and functions of the French personal pronouns in social interactions and literary texts 133
- Chapter 7. The dynamics of Nepali pronominal distinctions in familiar, casual and formal relationships 151
- Chapter 8. The Chinese pronominal system and identity construction via self-reference 205
- Chapter 9. Pronouns in an 18th century Chinese novel 219
- Chapter 10. Me, myself, and ako 235
- Chapter 11. Address, reference and sequentiality in Indonesian conversation 253
- Chapter 12. Pronouns in affinal avoidance registers 289
- Index 319
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Chapter 1. N-V-T, a framework for the analysis of social dynamics in address pronouns 17
- Chapter 2. When we means you 35
- Chapter 3. A socio-semiotic approach to the personal pronominal system in Brazilian Portuguese 57
- Chapter 4. Address pronouns and alternatives 75
- Chapter 5. T-V address practices in Italian 99
- Chapter 6. Forms and functions of the French personal pronouns in social interactions and literary texts 133
- Chapter 7. The dynamics of Nepali pronominal distinctions in familiar, casual and formal relationships 151
- Chapter 8. The Chinese pronominal system and identity construction via self-reference 205
- Chapter 9. Pronouns in an 18th century Chinese novel 219
- Chapter 10. Me, myself, and ako 235
- Chapter 11. Address, reference and sequentiality in Indonesian conversation 253
- Chapter 12. Pronouns in affinal avoidance registers 289
- Index 319
