Response Tokens in Mandarin Chinese: Evidence from MSN Talk

• Main Authors: Grace Shin-Yi Lin, 林欣怡
• Other Authors: Miao-Hsia Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/85429727914808454282

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語學系 === 94 === ABSTRACT The present study aims to investigate the discourse functions of response tokens (RTs), shi-o, o, zhende o, and zhende ma in Mandarin Chinese in MSN talk. We draw on a databank consisting of 126,462 morphemes to explore the differences and similarities among the four tokens. Generally speaking, except for initial RT o, the other response tokens always occur after new and unexpected informing. However, their differences rely on the different degrees of surprise of the previous informing, with zhende ma ranking highest in its surprise tone, zhende o next, followed by shi-o and o last. This can be further supported by the following components after these response tokens. For instance, all RTs can be followed by a statement, but distinctive from the features of the other RTs, the statement after IRT o often displays the chatter’s informed state and o does not express much interest of the current speaker. Besides, the brief talk after o and shi-o are often related to negative feelings while the one after zhende o and zhende ma are not. Hence, o and shi-o may prevent the topic from advancing and initiate a new topic which attracts the speaker. Questions are another turn components that often follow RTs and they are used to maintain the continuation of the talk. Questions occur less after IRT o since the informing prior IRT o is usually not surprising. Questions emerge after shi-o, zhende o, and zhende ma more easily since their prior informing is usually new and unexpected and prompts the current speaker to pursue the topic. With respect to the relationship between social factors (gender and age) and these RTs, overall, most of the statistical results show that social factors do not correlate a lot to the frequency or the functional differences of these RTs, with only a few exceptions. First, females in college-age group use more IRT os than men do, although IRT o seems to be a less feminine expression since it signals the chatter’s indifference, often found in men’s talk. This may be accounted for by the fact that among close peers at this age, females use more masculine forms to establish solidarity. Second, significant relationship is found between chatters of different genders and the frequency of shi-o. That is, females use shi-o than men do. Such a result can be explained by the fact that shi-o is a device showing the chatter’s politeness to decrease the face-threatening behavior in offending the other interlocutor, such as showing disinterest to continue the topic, or prefiguring the coming of disagreement and another new topic. Third, there is significant relationship between age and different functions of shi-o. Further investigation shows that shi-o-plus-Q in 31-39 years-olds is used more than shi-o occurring before dispreferred responses in younger group, for older women who use more feminine show more politeness than younger women do.