A Reference Grammar Of Chinese

A Reference Grammar of Chinese is a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the linguistic structure of Chinese, covering all of the important linguistic features of the language and incorporating insights gained from research in Chinese linguistics over the past thirty years. With contributions from twenty-two leading Chinese linguists, this authoritative guide uses large-scale corpora to provide authentic examples based on actual language use. The accompanying online example databases ensure that a wide range of exemplars are readily available and also allow for new usages to be updated. This design offers a new paradigm for a reference grammar where generalizations can be cross-checked with additional examples and also provide resources for both linguistic studies and language learning. Featuring bilingual term lists, this reference grammar helps readers to access relevant literature in both English and Chinese and is an invaluable reference for learners, teachers and researchers in Chinese linguistics and language processing.

This reference grammar provides, for the first time, a description of the grammar of Mandarin Chinese, the official spoken language of China and Taiwan, in functional terms, focusing on the role and meanings of word-level and sentence-level structures in actual conversations.

Begins with simple single-word-subject and simple-predicate sentences and moves systematically to transformed simple sentences and finally to compound and complex sentences. Each sentence structure is not only descriptively analyzed, but also formulated in a pedagogical pattern with examples. Exercises are provided in each unit.

A Reference Grammar for Teaching Chinese – Syntax and Discourse presents a comprehensive guide on the major issues in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. Through this reference work readers will learn all basic structures of the language, focusing on the interactions of syntactic properties, semantic nuances, and discourse contexts. The work contains ample examples and jargon-free explanations to account for some of the most nagging problems in teaching Chinese. At the heart of this reference resource are the concrete and efficient ways to help researchers in both fields of language pedagogy and Chinese linguistics as well as learners of the language.

This reference grammar provides a description of Mandarin Chinese in familiar terms and enables the English-speaking reader to transfer his/her knowledge of English to the study of Chinese. Many of the unique features of the language are treated through a comparison with semantically corresponding, though syntactically different, features in English. Aside from the conventional types of sentences, special constructions are amply explained and illustrated for the reader. Understanding the specific meaning of each of these constructions is one of the central themes of the grammar. This book contains a number of original analyses, such as that of the -shi---de- construction and the notion of continuum for the indiscrete nature of linguistic structure, which should serve as a valuable reference source for both the language teacher and the profession of Chinese linguistics."

Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, third edition, is an innovative reference guide to Mandarin Chinese, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume. The Grammar is divided into two parts. Part A covers traditional grammar points such as phrase order, and the structure of noun phrases and verb phrases. Part B is carefully organized around language functions and situations such as: Asking questions Communication strategies Making comparisons Giving orders and making requests Expressing apologies, regrets, and sympathy The two parts of the Grammar are closely linked by extensive cross-references, providing a grammatical and functional perspective on many patterns. The Grammar is coordinated with the Workbook, which provides grammar-focused and situation-focused exercises to facilitate practice and reinforce language use. All grammar points and functions are richly illustrated with examples presented in simplified and traditional characters and Pinyin romanization, with a strong emphasis on contemporary usage. This third edition includes new sections on character structure, social media, speaker perspective, and more, as well as updated illustrative sentences and an expanded index. Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar is ideal for all learners of Mandarin Chinese, from beginner to intermediate and advanced students.

Chinese Grammar at Work adopts a cognitive-functional approach and uses a corpus-based methodology to examine how Chinese syntax emerges from natural discourse context and what the evolving grammar at work looks like. In this volume the author weaves together an array of fresh perspectives on clause structure, constructions, interactional linguistics, cognitive science and complex dynamic systems to construct a grammar of spoken Chinese. The volume contains discussions of a large number of topics: contiguity relation, the roles of repair strategies in the shaping of constituent structure, non-canonical word order constructions, pragmatics of referring expressions, classifier constructions, noun-modifying constructions, verb complementation, ethnotheory of the person and constructions specific to the language of emotion, sequential sensitivity of linguistic materials, meaning potential in interaction, the nature of variability and stability in Chinese syntax from the perspective of complexity theory. The result is a volume that highlights the connections between language structure, situated and embodied nature of cognition and language use, and affords a true entrée to the exciting realm of Chinese grammar.