Addition and reassessment: preverbal particle ah in Shishan (Hainan Island, China)

Abstract

Using naturally occurring conversation data, this paper investigates preverbal ah in Shishan, a dialect of Lingao of the Tai-Kadai language family. On the surface, Shishan ah displays broad parallels to English also, too, and Mandarin ye in the marking of “sameness” and “additivity,” as well as concessive relations and a variety of speaker stances. This paper proposes a unified analysis of Shishan ah through the central meaning of [addition + reassessment]. Specifically, in direct interaction, ah-marked utterances primarily constitute misaligning responses, signaling a piece of information as capable of engendering a shift in the interlocutor's prior evaluative stance. In narratives, ah highlights aspects of the narratives where re-evaluation occurs, which ultimately leads to a more elaborate, thorough understanding of the situation of concern. Overall, this paper contributes to particle research, particularly research of the interactive basis of the meanings and functions of particles.