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The Grammatical Categorization of Mandarin 在/ zài: Spatiality, Temporality and Semantic Construal
LIU Xing
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2023.04.010
Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
Mandarin 在 (pinyin: zài) is the most frequently used character in representing spatial and temporal relationship. Current studies mostly focus on its lexical meaning and syntactic structure while cognitive features of its grammatical categories have been neglected. This paper investigates into the categorization of zài by conducting a morphosyntactic test among College English majors in China. The results show that: prototypes are organizing the grammatical categories of zài at all levels in terms of intra-categorial gradience; the semantic construal of zài construction could significantly influence the accuracy of the grammatical categorization of zài; the syntactic structure can provide viable cue for the identification of grammatical categories of zài; spatiality, temporality and the status of existing are three essential semantic features encoded by zài, the concurrence of which leads to various degree of inter-categorial vagueness, indicating a conflict between the rigid grammatical classification and the indeterminate nature of the grammatical functions of zai, suggesting the necessity to reconsider the efficacy of applying indiscriminately the Anglo-Saxon grammar into the study of Chinese spatial-temporal constructions.
Mandarin zài, grammatical categorization, temporality, spatiality, semantic construal
Journal of Literature and Art Studies, April 2023, Vol. 13, No. 4, 295-303
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