A Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis of the Chinese Optative verbs "xiang", "xiang yao", "yao"

• Main Authors: DENG, TSUEI YUN, 鄧翠雲
• Other Authors: Shou-Hsin Teng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/14289629025552250435

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 華語文教學研究所 === 100 === This thesis focuses upon the semantic and pragmatic analysis of the Chinese optative verbs “xiang,” “xiang yao,” and “yao.” Because these verbs share similar meaning and usage, foreign students often misunderstand and misuse them. This thesis seeks to tackle the problem from a cognitive perspective in order to further explore the shared similarity and difference among these verbs. Detailed pragmatic performance of these verbs will also be analyzed. This study finds that when these verbs serve as adverbs, they all call for subjective willing. “Xiang” presents the static, concealed will on mind; in contrast, “yao” is active and presents the will to act. But the common usage of “xiang yao,” though combining both “xiang” and “yao,” is very different from other verbs, and this difference is often overlooked. This thesis finds that “xiang yao” has a different, stronger will to act, and must be treated as an independent verb. Another focus of this study is to discuss the communicative roles of these optative verbs from the theory of cooperative principle and politeness strategy. Finally, this thesis uses pedagogical grammar index to examine common Chinese dictionaries and proposes some improvement advices.