News & Events
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Topic: The Implications of Mismatched Personal Pronouns in Chinese
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 Posted - 23/05/2001 : 09:56:47
Department of Chinese, Translation & Linguistics
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Institute of Chinese Linguistics
Summer Seminar Series on Chinese Linguistics (1)
The Implications of Mismatched Personal Pronouns in Chinese
By: Dr. LEE Cher Leng
National University of Singapore
Time: 10:30 am - 12:00 noon
Date: Wednesday, 06 June 2001
Venue: Lecture Theatre P4801, Academic Building, CityU
Abstract: This seminar examines the phenomenon of variation of number in
Chinese pronouns. The data used for analysis is the eighteenth century
classic Chinese novel Hong Lou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber). Research on
Indo-European pronouns has shown that variation of number is the most
widespread phenomenon to convey degrees of respect or social distance. This
social meaning conveyed through variation of number in pronouns has not been
studied in Chinese. The data from the novel shows that there are plural
pronouns referring to singular individuals and vice versa. Although in most
languages, non-singularity indicates respect and politeness, it is the
contrary in Chinese. An individual of inferior social status uses the plural
first person pronoun for self-reference when conversing with someone of
superior social status. The plural pronoun used by the inferior individual
conveys humility. On the other hand, individuals of superior social status
use the second or third person singular pronouns to refer to a group of
individuals of inferior status. The superior individuals view the group of
inferior individuals as negligible and therefore refer to them using the
singular. It is evident that social meaning is conveyed through the variation
in the numbers of Chinese pronouns.
About the Speaker: LEE Cher Leng holds a PhD from University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. She is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Department of
Chinese Studies at the National University of Singapore where she teaches
courses in discourse analysis, pragmatics, rhetoric and translation. Her
current research interests include code-switching and discourse analysis.
Among her recent publications are Zero Anaphora in Chinese (1995, Crane
Publishing Co.), her co-authored chapter "Written discourse segmentation:
the function of unstressed pronouns in Mandarin Chinese" published in
Reference and Referent Accessibility, edited by T. Fretheim and J. K. Gundel
(1996), and another co-authored paper "Locality constraints on yes/no
questions in Singapore Teochew" published in Journal of East Asian Linguistics
6, 189-211.
Enquiries: 2788-8705
___________________ All are welcome! ____________________
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Enquiry: LTenquiry@cityu.edu.hk
