4653821

9789027215659

Dramatized Discourse: The Mandarin Chinese <i>ba</i>-construction (Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics)

Dramatized Discourse: The Mandarin Chinese <i>ba</i>-construction (Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics)
$110.40
$3.95 Shipping
List Price
$195.00
Discount
43% Off
You Save
$84.60

  • Condition: Like New
  • Provider: BooksFromCalifornia Contact
  • Provider Rating:
    93%
  • Ships From: Simi Valley, CA
  • Shipping: Standard, Expedited
  • Comments: Brand New! Sealed in publisher's shrinkwrap. Never opened! No signs of wear.

seal  

Ask the provider about this item.

Most renters respond to questions in 48 hours or less.
The response will be emailed to you.
Cancel
  • ISBN-13: 9789027215659
  • ISBN: 9027215650
  • Publication Date: 2005
  • Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

AUTHOR

Zhuo Jing-Schmidt

SUMMARY

Language is a symbolic system of meanings evoked by linguistic forms. The choice of forms in communication is non-arbitrary. Rather, speakers pick those forms whose meanings best convey their discourse intention. The meaning of the Mandarin ba-construction, argues Jing-Schmidt, is discourse dramaticity, a concept that includes high conceptual salience and subjectivity. The ba-construction and its "syntactic variations" are never interchangeable because contrast in their meanings determines difference in their functions. Quantitative analyses based on authentic data validate the postulation of discourse dramaticity. By taking discourse pragmatics seriously, the dramaticity hypothesis enables a unitary explanation that transcends sentence grammar. The diachronic treatment reveals the syntactic change of the ba-construction as an adaptive process of pragmatization, which raises the issue of linguistic evolution as a result of socio-cultural development. This book will be of particular value to readers interested in the interaction between grammar and pragmatics and to teachers confronting the controversy of the ba-construction in foreign language pedagogy.Zhuo Jing-Schmidt is the author of 'Dramatized Discourse: The Mandarin Chinese ba-construction (Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics)', published 2005 under ISBN 9789027215659 and ISBN 9027215650.

[read more]

Questions about purchases?

You can find lots of answers to common customer questions in our FAQs

View a detailed breakdown of our shipping prices

Learn about our return policy

Still need help? Feel free to contact us

View college textbooks by subject
and top textbooks for college

The ValoreBooks Guarantee

The ValoreBooks Guarantee

With our dedicated customer support team, you can rest easy knowing that we're doing everything we can to save you time, money, and stress.