An Analysis of Homophones in Mandarin Chinese

• Main Authors: Chen Hung-wen, 陳虹文
• Other Authors: Shulun Wei
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2000
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/75737052305522034688

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 語言學研究所 === 88 === Homophones are widely used in Mandarin Chinese. With contextual connection, homophones can be used intentionally to create effects. Besides intenstional use of homophones, unintentional use evokes ambiguity to create some effects as well. In this study, pun, irony, metaphor, and humor are the effects that I am going to explore. A selective survey of related literature is introduced to analyze my data. They are Yuan''s homophonous research, Haverkate''s speech act analysis of irony, Kuo''s metaphor and metonymy and Raskin''s script-based theory. These theories are used as a means to analyze my data. Yuan classifies homophones into seven groups to analyze the reason that sounds are perceived as homophones even if they are not the same pronunciation. Haverkate proposes the ironic analysis based on Searle''s speech act. Two criterions are introduced: meaning the opposite what is said and meaning different from what is said. Kuo analyzes her date with Lakoff and Johnson and Dyer ''s metaphor and metonymy with both verbal and visual images. As for humorous investigation, Raskin suggests the notion of script to explore a text carrying a joke. The data is collected from mass media, such as advertisement, newspaper and magazines, and from other miscellaneous sources, including two-part allegorical sayings, customs, riddles, telescoping and nimble wits. These are gathered from the use in daily life. Some certain groups of data have a specific effect, but some have interrelated effects. That is, some effects exist in one text; thus, the relations of the effects in the use of homophones are going to investigate and which effects appear most will be explored in this study.