A Semantic, Syntactic and Pragmatic Analysis of "Hao" in Chinese

• Main Author: 莊雅棠
• Other Authors: 鄧守信
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/87157623582375348171

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 華語文教學研究所 === 98 === We have approached the research in the following thesis from both semantic and pragmatic angles. The Chinese word hao contains a remarkable number of semantic meanings and functions, based on Halliday’s meta-linguistic theory, in which “ hao” is analyzed from three different levels: namely, ideational functions, textual functions, and interpersonal functions. On the ideational level, the core meaning of the word hao has led to a wide semantic range. Many grammar books, “xiandaihanyubabaici”現代漢語八百詞 being one example, list more than 10 different meanings for the word “hao”. While on the surface it would seem that hao has only one basic meaning, this core semantic use has nonetheless extended to a wide polysemous range of uses based upon this core meaning. From a grammatical perspective, many scholars conceive of hao’s syntactical function as either adjectival or adverbial. Besides those grammatical uses, “hao” can also function as a process verb or as a post verb. This thesis will discuss the full grammatical range of this word. On a textual level, “hao” is used as a discourse marker. While in this sense in carries no intrinsic meaning, it nevertheless can be used to make dialogical and monological transitions more cohesive. This thesis will analyze this function of “hao”, using data from daily speech. Hao also functions as a closure marker in the structure of conversational discourse, predicating a following subject. This use parallels one of the uses of “le”. On an interactional or interpersonal level, “ hao” can function as a recipient tokens, that is, as a back channel indicating that the speaker’s discourse has been received. These can be categorized as interactional speech acts, such as: (1) acceptance, (2)undertaking , (3) acknowledgment. On this level, “hao” often appears in conjunction with “a” or “ba”.