File(s) under permanent embargo
Reason: This item is currently closed access.
Adapting and testing of Jespersen's syntax model with special reference to Chinese narrative texts
Version 2 2020-01-08, 16:07
Version 1 2012-09-24, 11:41
thesis
posted on 2020-01-08, 16:07 authored by Dai LinThis thesis is aimed primarily at (i) modifying Otto Jespersen's Analytic Syntax model
according to the main typological and grammatical features of Chinese; (ii) testing the
modified model in Chinese personal narrative texts. Jespersen's syntax model is
suitable for many European languages, such as English, French, German and Danish,
etc. There are a large number of symbols in his system which can be applied equally
well to Chinese without any modification. However, as Chinese is typologically and
grammatically very different from European languages, some of the symbols used in
Jespersen's system need extension or modification and new symbols are required for
the features and categories in Chinese which are not dealt with in Jespersen's model,
such as the Chinese aspectual system, compound structures, verbal series,
complement constructions and so on. We have discussed in some depth why and how
the model has been adapted for the Chinese language and we have tested the modified
model in naturally-occurring language - Chinese narrative texts. This thesis shows that
while the adapted model is effective in many ways, there are some notable difficulties
if the ultimate aim is to use this model's analysis as the basis of an interpretation in
English. Some of these interpretation/translation difficulties are highlighted, especially
in the context of how clauses are analysed in personal narrative texts. Suggestions
concerning the further improvement of the adapted model are also made: more work
can be done in the areas of modality and other types of particles. Finally, when putting
the adapted model to actual use for the description of naturally-occurring language
(personal narratives), it is argued that the occurrence of aspect, verbal series,
compound verbs, verbal phrases with complements and sentence final particles, etc.
dominates in Chinese personal narratives, and our adapted model is able to show the
various structural features of these categories.
History
School
- The Arts, English and Drama
Department
- English and Drama
Publisher
Loughborough UniversityRights holder
© Dai LinPublication date
1993Notes
A Master's thesis Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Philosophy of Loughborough University.Language
- en
Supervisor(s)
Ronald ChanQualification name
- MPhil
Qualification level
- Masters