Abstract
The Chinese sequence yǒu rén [exist person] is both the minimal existential-presentational construction and the functional equivalent of indefinite pronouns in encoding indefinite human reference. This dual characteristic prompts the question of whether yǒu rén functions as a presentational construction comparable to similar forms in other languages. Building on a literary corpus of Chinese contemporary novels, this study aims to determine if yǒu rén displays the behavioral properties of presentational constructions. First, presentational yǒu rén constructions are distinguished from both locative-existential and generic-existential ones based on a set of features including predicate selection in the coda, presence and function of the locative expression, and the co-dependent interpretation of the nominal rén. Next, the discourse function of yǒu rén is examined by assessing its contrast with regular nonpresentational sentences and the anaphoric potential of the entity it introduces. While establishing the boundaries between the three construction types, the study also analyzes the co-expression pattern observed within a gradient and compositional approach.
Acknowledgment
This research was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. I wish to thank two anonymous reviewers and the editors of Folia Linguistica for their insightful corrections and suggestions that helped to improve the overall quality of this article.
Glosses
- ACC
-
pretransitive marker
- CL
-
classifier
- COMP
-
complementizer
- COL
-
collective marker
- CRS
-
Current Relevant State aspect marker
- DUR
-
durative aspect marker
- EPP
-
Existential/Possessive Predicator
- EXCL
-
exclamative particle
- HORT
-
hortative particle
- NEG
-
negation
- NOM
-
nominalizing suffix
- PASS
-
passive marker
- PAU
-
particle indicating a pause
- PFV
-
perfective aspect marker
- PL
-
plural
- PRS
-
present
- PROG
-
progressive aspect marker
- PROH
-
prohibitive adverb
- REL
-
relative pronoun
- S
-
subject
- SFP
-
sentence final particle
- SG
-
singular
- SUB
-
subordinative particle
Abbreviations used in the text
- BN
-
bare noun
- I-level
-
Individual-level
- LOC
-
locative
- NP
-
noun phrase
- S-level
-
Stage-level
- SV
-
Subject-Verb
- PP
-
prepositional phrase
- VP
-
verbal phrase
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- Distinguishing Hawai‘i Creole neva and néva: prosodic evidence from podcast interviews
- What is a Chinese word? Lexical constructionalization in Chinese
- Encoding indefinite human reference without indefinite pronouns: the case of Chinese presentationals
- Constituents, arrays, and trees: two (more) models of grammatical description
- Toponymic unity of the Carpathian region
- Gender agreement in Italian compounds with capo-
- In search of a semiotic model for onomatopoeia
- Book Reviews
- Dirk Geeraerts, Dirk Speelman, Kris Heylen, Mariana Montes, Stefano De Pascale, Karlien Franco & Michael Lang: Lexical Variation and Change: A Distributional Semantic Approach
- Bernd Heine: The Grammar of Interactives
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- Distinguishing Hawai‘i Creole neva and néva: prosodic evidence from podcast interviews
- What is a Chinese word? Lexical constructionalization in Chinese
- Encoding indefinite human reference without indefinite pronouns: the case of Chinese presentationals
- Constituents, arrays, and trees: two (more) models of grammatical description
- Toponymic unity of the Carpathian region
- Gender agreement in Italian compounds with capo-
- In search of a semiotic model for onomatopoeia
- Book Reviews
- Dirk Geeraerts, Dirk Speelman, Kris Heylen, Mariana Montes, Stefano De Pascale, Karlien Franco & Michael Lang: Lexical Variation and Change: A Distributional Semantic Approach
- Bernd Heine: The Grammar of Interactives