Papers by Hilary CHAPPELL
ABSTRACT
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In equative constructions, an entity, A, (the Comparee) is judged against a benchmark, B, (the St... more In equative constructions, an entity, A, (the Comparee) is judged against a benchmark, B, (the Standard) to express that both possess an equal degree of the given dimension or quality (the Parameter). In many Sinitic languages (Sino-Tibetan, China), the constituent order for equative comparison typically makes use of a conjoined noun phrase to link the two entities under comparison as well as a degree adverb meaning ‘same’ or ‘equal’, as in Shaowu 邵武 (Northwestern Min, Fujian). This corresponds to Type III in the classification given by Haspelmath et al (forthc.) : NPA Conjunction NPB Adverbsame Verb Comparee Marker Standard Degree Parameter Lau55-san21 pɔn21 xieŋ35 kə0iɔŋ35 kau21 old-three CONJ 2SG the.sameADV tall ‘The third eldest child in the family is as tall as you. ’ 老三帮你个样高 (data from S. Ngai forthc.) After discussing the features of Sinitic equatives from a cross-linguistic perspective, including the principal sources for their standard and degree markers, a major diachronic change in word order for the equative comparative in Sinitic will be outlined: this concerns the Late Archaic and Pre-Medieval Chinese order of Parameter – Standard Marker – Standard NP (5thc. BC – 2nd c. AD) contrasted with the Early Modern Chinese order of Standard Marker – Standard NP – Parameter which became established from approximately 12th century onwards (Chappell & Peyraube 2015). Note that only the former is completely harmonic with prepositional languages including Sinitic, according to Greenberg’s Universal 22 (1963) on comparatives (see also Haspelmath et al, 2017). Furthermore, as part of this complex diachronic change, the original construction with a postverbal standard marker further develops into a comparative of superiority, a grammaticalization pathway for similative verbs also presented in Creissels (2014: 642). The possible motivation for such a word order change to one that is disharmonic with the typological profile of Sinitic is explored in this presentation. A comparison with the common grammatical forms for equatives in other language families of the Southeast Asian region will also be made.
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Diversity in Sinitic Languages
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Faits de Langues
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Linguistic Typology
Recent accounts on the typology of predicative possession, including those by Stassen, recognise ... more Recent accounts on the typology of predicative possession, including those by Stassen, recognise a Topic Possessive type with the possessee coded like the figure in an existential predication, and the possessor coded as a topic that is not subcategorised by the predicate and is not related to any syntactic position in the comment, literally: As for Possessor, there is Possessee. The Asian region is explicitly singled out as being a Topic Possessive area. On the basis of a sample of 71 languages from the four main language families of continental East and Southeast Asia – Sino-Tibetan, Hmong-Mien, Tai-Kadai and Austroasiatic, contrary to these previous accounts of the distribution of the main types of predicative possession in the world’s languages, we argue that this area should rather be considered as showing a particularly high concentration of Have-Possessives, with the additional particularity that the verbs occurring in the Have-Possessive constructions in this linguistic area ...
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Language & History, 2014
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Diversity in Sinitic Languages, 2015
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La Lettre De L Ecole Des Hautes Etudes En Sciences Sociales, 2012
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Space in Languages of China, 2008
... 子張書諸紳(論語:衛靈公) Zǐ Zhāng shū zhū shēn Zi Zhang write it+at sash 'Zi Zhang wrote ... Sh... more ... 子張書諸紳(論語:衛靈公) Zǐ Zhāng shū zhū shēn Zi Zhang write it+at sash 'Zi Zhang wrote ... Shàngtóu 上頭, for instance, is used on several occasions in Zheng Xuan's (127200) commentaries of the ... zhōng hán jiáo tù zhè zhǎng zhōng mouth in keep-in-the-mouth chew spit ...
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Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 1996
This study had two aims: (a) to establish whether interpersonal impressions made from visual spee... more This study had two aims: (a) to establish whether interpersonal impressions made from visual speech followed the same patterns as those made from auditory speech; and (b) to determine the effect of gender stereotypes on interpersonal impressions made from visual speech. Forty-eight speechreaders (24 male and 24 female) saw 24 talkers (12 male and 12 female) on videotape without sound. After speechreading, speechreaders rated each talker on 14 semantic differential items. Factor analysis of the items revealed three factors, labelled Solidarity, Status, and Performance. Significant talker gender differences were shown in Status and Performance ratings, reflecting gender stereotypes. Variation in semantic differential scores contributed to a small but significant proportion of the variation in speechreading scores. Gender differences in this relationship also mirrored gender stereotypes. The results are discussed with reference to literature concerning speech perception, language attit...
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crlao.ehess.fr
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Journal of East Asian Linguistics, 2011
This analysis sets out to specifically discuss the polyfunctionality of 跟 [kai55] in Waxiang (S... more This analysis sets out to specifically discuss the polyfunctionality of 跟 [kai55] in Waxiang (Sinitic), whose lexical source is the verb ‘to follow’. Amongst its various uses, we find that of a preposition ‘with, along’, a marker of adjuncts and a NP conjunction, thus superficially resembling its Mandarin cognate gēn跟 ‘with’. Curiously, however, it has also evolved into a direct object marker in Waxiang, with a function similar to that of preposition bă 把 < ‘hold, take’ as found in the ‘disposal’ S–bă–O–V construction of standard Mandarin. The pathways of grammaticalization for 跟 [kai55] in Waxiang are thus discussed in order to determine how it has developed this unusual grammatical function in one of the linguistic zones of China where verbs of giving or taking are, in fact, the main source for grammaticalized object markers in disposal constructions.
On the basis of 16th and 17th century Southern Min literature (Sinitic), a comparison is also made with analogous developments for comitative共 gòng ‘with’ to provide support for our argument that the direct object marking use has evolved from the oblique function of a benefactive or dative, and is clearly separate from the crosslinguistically well-attested pathway that leads to its use as a conjunction.
Waxiang is an as yet unclassified Sinitic language spoken in a remote mountainous area of western Hunan in China. It has developed in an unusual contact situation, surrounded by genetically unrelated languages, such as Hmong and Tujia, retaining many highly conservative features. In the contemporary situation, most Waxiang speakers speak both their own language as well as Southwestern Mandarin.
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Linguistics, 2022
This study is based on a sample of 116 languages from the Mainland East and Southeast Asian lingu... more This study is based on a sample of 116 languages from the Mainland East and Southeast Asian linguistic area. Its first objective is to examine four distinct synchronic patterns of areal polysemy, created by the semantic domains of copular, locative, existential and possessive verbs and the constructions they form. As a consequence, its second objective is to model the diachronic change underlying four language types identified on this basis from the data. We argue that there are three grammaticalization pathways which motivate the four synchronic patterns: Type III languages are distinguished by the grammaticalization chain: (POSTURAL VERB) > (DWELL) > LOCATIVE > EXISTENTIAL > POSSESSIVE, while the other two types, Type II and Type IV, show an opposing pathway: (GRASP) > POSSESSIVE > EXISTENTIAL. Type I and Type II languages additionally reveal a recurrent polysemy between LOCATIVE and COPULAR verbs. On this basis, an implicational universal is adduced to the effect that no diachronic adjacency exists between LOCATIVE and POSSESSIVE constructions. Crucially, the intervening stage of an EXISTENTIAL construction provides the necessary bridging context for POSSESSIVE reanalysis in this first pathway, while POSSESSIVE verbs are formally distinct from LOCATIVES in the second, bearing no diachronic relationship to them. The findings on the patterns of polysemy sharing reinforce the notion of a clear typological split between Tibeto-Burman languages on the one hand, and Sinitic, Kra-Dai, Hmong-Mien, and Austroasiatic on the other.
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Linguistics
This study is based on a sample of 116 languages from the Mainland East and Southeast Asian lingu... more This study is based on a sample of 116 languages from the Mainland East and Southeast Asian linguistic area. Its first objective is to examine four distinct synchronic patterns of areal polysemy, created by the semantic domains of copular, locative, existential and possessive verbs and the constructions they form. As a consequence, its second objective is to model the diachronic change underlying four language types identified on this basis from the data. We argue that there are three grammaticalization pathways which motivate the four synchronic patterns: Type III languages are distinguished by the grammaticalization chain: (Postural verb) > (Dwell) > Locative > Existential > Possessive, while the other two types, Type II and Type IV, show an opposing pathway: (Grasp) > Possessive > Existential. Type I and Type II languages additionally reveal a recurrent polysemy between Locative and Copular verbs. On this basis, an implicational universal is adduced to the effec...
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The Mainland Southeast Asia Linguistic Area
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This volume presents the first English edition of a Hakka Grammar and Lexicon, originally compile... more This volume presents the first English edition of a Hakka Grammar and Lexicon, originally compiled by Basel missionaries who lived and worked in Guangdong province, China, during the second half of the 19th century. The Kleine Hakka-Grammatik (1909) is in fact the earliest known grammar of a Hakka dialect, while the Kleines Deutsch-Hakka Worterbuch fur Anfanger (1909) is an abridged version of a larger dictionary manuscript in circulation, acknowledged by Donald MacIver to be the basis for his classic 1926 Hakka-English dictionary. Both works reflect the Sin-on 新安 variety of Hakka spoken some one hundred years ago in the Hong Kong area. Dialect identification and history of the Basel Mission in China are discussed in the first part of the book, firmly situating the two German texts in their proper context. This volume thus provides first-hand data to facilitate diachronic and typological comparisons with other Sinitic languages, including Meixian Hakka 梅县客家话, spoken in northeastern ...
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Papers by Hilary CHAPPELL
On the basis of 16th and 17th century Southern Min literature (Sinitic), a comparison is also made with analogous developments for comitative共 gòng ‘with’ to provide support for our argument that the direct object marking use has evolved from the oblique function of a benefactive or dative, and is clearly separate from the crosslinguistically well-attested pathway that leads to its use as a conjunction.
Waxiang is an as yet unclassified Sinitic language spoken in a remote mountainous area of western Hunan in China. It has developed in an unusual contact situation, surrounded by genetically unrelated languages, such as Hmong and Tujia, retaining many highly conservative features. In the contemporary situation, most Waxiang speakers speak both their own language as well as Southwestern Mandarin.
On the basis of 16th and 17th century Southern Min literature (Sinitic), a comparison is also made with analogous developments for comitative共 gòng ‘with’ to provide support for our argument that the direct object marking use has evolved from the oblique function of a benefactive or dative, and is clearly separate from the crosslinguistically well-attested pathway that leads to its use as a conjunction.
Waxiang is an as yet unclassified Sinitic language spoken in a remote mountainous area of western Hunan in China. It has developed in an unusual contact situation, surrounded by genetically unrelated languages, such as Hmong and Tujia, retaining many highly conservative features. In the contemporary situation, most Waxiang speakers speak both their own language as well as Southwestern Mandarin.
NPA Conjunction NPB Adverbsame Verb
Comparee Marker Standard Degree Parameter
Lau55-san21 pɔn21 xieŋ35 kə0iɔŋ35 kau21
old-three CONJ 2SG the.sameADV tall
‘The third eldest child in the family is as tall as you. ’ 老三帮你个样高 (data from S. Ngai forthc.)
After discussing the features of Sinitic equatives from a cross-linguistic perspective, including the principal sources for their standard and degree markers, a major diachronic change in word order for the equative comparative in Sinitic will be outlined: this concerns the Late Archaic and Pre-Medieval Chinese order of Parameter – Standard Marker – Standard NP (5thc. BC – 2nd c. AD) contrasted with the Early Modern Chinese order of Standard Marker – Standard NP – Parameter which became established from approximately 12th century onwards (Chappell & Peyraube 2015). Note that only the former is completely harmonic with prepositional languages including Sinitic, according to Greenberg’s Universal 22 (1963) on comparatives (see also Haspelmath et al, 2017). Furthermore, as part of this complex diachronic change, the original construction with a postverbal standard marker further develops into a comparative of superiority, a grammaticalization pathway for similative verbs also presented in Creissels (2014: 642).
The possible motivation for such a word order change to one that is disharmonic with the typological profile of Sinitic is explored in this presentation. A comparison with the common grammatical forms for equatives in other language families of the Southeast Asian region will also be made.
(the Standard Noun) to express that both possess an equal degree of the given dimension or quality (the Parameter). Sinitic languages, the topic of this analysis, are no exceptions to this rule in possessing syntactic forms dedicated to the expression of this grammatical meaning.
Two main issues to be discussed are (i) the description of the syntactic structures used to code the equative as well as the morphological markers for the standard and the degree across Sinitic languages and (ii) the close relationship diachronically between comparatives of inequality, and equatives and similatives.
Three construction types are proposed in a new typology of equatives for Sinitic. Expanded version of a paper presented at the CNRS laboratory, Llacan, Paris in November 2016.