- Jahrgang 170 (2020)
- Vol. 170 (2020)
- >
- Ausgabe 1
- Nr. 1
- >
- Seiten 163 - 190
- pp. 163 - 190
Grammatical Innovation and Linguistic Register: Historical Writing from Late Archaic to Early Medieval Chinese
Seiten 163 - 190
DOI https://doi.org/10.13173/zeitdeutmorggese.170.1.0163
In this paper the distinction of stylistic registers in Chinese historical writing from the Late Archaic to the Early Medieval periods is at issue on the basis of a statistical analysis of function words in four representative Late Archaic and Early Middle Chinese texts. Besides a statistical analysis of function words, the employment of poetic speech as a means of stylistic distinction is included in the discussion. The purpose of the paper is to establish a system of linguistic categories which can be employed to test the stylistic register of Chinese historical writing. Although all texts belong to the category of written texts, clear stylistic registers, different degrees of vernacularism, conversationalism etc. can be perceived on the basis of the employed statistical analysis. The statistical distribution of function words also reveals differences in the degrees of obligatoriness of function words in Late Archaic and in Middle Chinese; more mandatory function words, such as evidently the class of aspecto-temporal adverbs are less useful in the distinction of registers than, for instance, more discourse oriented temporal adverbials.
1 Aldridge, E. 2018: “Inherent case in Archaic Chinese.” In: Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America (online).
2 Aldridge, E. / B. Meisterernst 2018: “Resultative and Termination: A Unified Analysis of Middle Chinese VP-YI.” In: Kunio Nishiyama / Hideki Kishimoto / E. Aldridge (eds.): Topics in Theoretical Asian Linguistics. Amsterdam, pp. 157–179.
3 Biber, D. / S. Conrad 2009: Register, Genre, and Style. New York.
4 Boltz, W. 1990: “Notes on the textual relation between the Kuo yü and the Tso chuan.” In: BSOAS 53,3, pp. 491–502.
5 Cheng, A. 1993: “Ch'un-ch'iu.” In: M. Loewe (ed.): Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide. Berkeley.
6 Feng Shengli 1996: “Prosodically Constrained Syntactic Changes in Early Archaic Chinese.” In: Journal of East Asian Linguistics 4, pp. 323–371.
7 Feng Shengli / J. Vihan 2016: “The Tripartite Division of Formal, Informal, and Elevated Registers.” In: B. Meisterernst (ed.): New Aspects of Classical Chinese Grammar. Wiesbaden (AAS 45), pp. 47–74.
8 Feng Shengli 冯胜利, Shi Chunhong 施春宏 2018: Lùn yǔtǐ yǔfǎ de jīběn yuánlǐ, dānwèi céngjí hé yǔtǐ xìt⊖ng 论语体语法的基本原理、单位层级和语体系统. In: Shijie Hanyu jiaoxue 32, 2, pp. 302–325.
9 Halliday, M. 1989: Spoken and Written Language. Oxford.
10 Jin Lixin 金理新 2006: Shànggǔ Hànyǔ xíngtài yánjiū 上古汉语形态研究. Hefei 2006.
11 Karlgren, B. 1926: On the authenticity and nature of the Tso-chuan. Göteborg (Göteborgs Högskolas årsskrift 32,3), pp. 1–65.
12 Karlgren, B. 1957: Grammata Serica Recensa. Stockholm (Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities 29).
13 Kern, M. 2005: “Poetry and Religion: The Representation of ‘Truth’ in Early Historical Writing.” In: H. Schmidt-Glintzer / A. Mittag / J. Rüsen (eds.): Historical Truth, Historical Criticism and Ideology: Chinese Historiography and Historical Culture from a New Comparative Perspective. Leiden, pp. 53–78.
14 Kern, M. 2010: “The Classic of Poetry.” In: The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature. Cambridge, Vol. 1, pp. 17–49 and 76–86.
15 Kern, M. 2015: “Speaking of Poetry: Pattern and Argument in the ‘Kongzi Shilun’.” In: J. Gentz / D. Meyer (eds.): Literary Forms of Argument in Ancient China. Leiden, pp. 175–200.
16 Kern, M. 2016: “Style and Poetic Diction in the Xunzi.” In: E. L. Hutton (ed.): Dao Companion to the Philosophy of Xunzi. Dordrecht, pp. 1–33.
17 Knechtges, D. R. 2011: “From Eastern Han through the Western Jin (AD 25–317).” In: The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature. Cambridge, Vol. 2, pp. 117–198.
18 Lee, D. Y.-W. 2001: “Genres, registers, textstyles, domains and styles: Clarifying the concepts and nevigating (sic!) a path through the BNC jungle.” In: Language Learning and Technology 5,3, pp. 37–72.
19 Loewe, M. 1993: Early Chinese Texts: A bibliographical guide. Berkeley.
20 Meisterernst, B. 2002: “Eine Übersetzung der Yüeh-yü Sektion des Kuo-yü [A translation of the Yueyu section in the Guoyu].” In: R. Emmerich / H. Stumpfeldt (eds.): Und folge nun dem, was mein Herz begehrt. Festschrift für Ulrich Unger zum 70. Geburtstag. Hamburger Sinologische Schriften. Hamburg, pp. 509–542.
21 Meisterernst, B. 2011: “From obligation to future? A diachronic sketch of the syntax and the semantics of the auxiliary verb dāng 當.” In: Cahiers de Linguistique Asie Orientale 40,2, pp. 137–188.
22 Meisterernst, B. 2013: “Hàncháo Hànyǔ wényán zhōng de k⊖uyǔ chéngfèn – 'Shǐjì' yǔ 'Hànshū' duìyìng juǎn de yǔyán xué bǐjiào yánjiū 汉朝汉语文言中的口语成分—《史记》与《汉书》对应卷的语:言学比较研究””. In: Feng Shengli (ed.): Hànyǔ shūmiàn yǔ de lìshǐ yǔ xiànzhuàng 汉语书面语的历史与现状. Beijing, pp. 141–156.
23 Meisterernst, B. 2014: “Vernacular Elements and Literary Language in Han Period Chinese: A Linguistic Comparison of Corresponding Chapters in the Shǐjì and the Hànshū.” In: ZDMG 164, pp. 187–213.
24 Meisterernst, B. 2015a: Tense and Aspect in Han Period Chinese: A linguistic study of the Shǐjì. Berlin (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs 274).
25 Meisterernst, B. 2015b: “From Synthetic to Analytic Modal Negation: Modal Negative Markers from Han to Tang.” In: ZDMG 165, pp. 441–468.
26 Meisterernst, B. 2016a: New Aspects of Classical Chinese Grammar. Wiesbaden (Asien- und Afrikastudien der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 45).
27 Meisterernst, B. 2016b: “The syntax of Aspecto-temporal Adverbs from Late Archaic to Early Medieval Chinese.” In: Journal of East Asian Linguistics 25,2 (online), pp. 143–181.
28 Meisterernst, B. 2016c: “Different linguistic styles: The Literary Language and Vernacular Elements in Han period Chinese.” Presentation given at the Chinese University of HK, April 2016.
29 Meisterernst, B. 2017: “Modality and aspect and the thematic role of the subject in Late Archaic and Han period Chinese.” In: Lingua Sinica 3,10 (online).
30 Meisterernst, B. 2018: “The Function of Poetic Language and Rhymes in Pre-Modern Chinese Literature.” In: Chu-Ren Huang / Z. Jing-Schmidt / B. Meisterernst: The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Applied Linguistics. London.
31 Meisterernst, B. Sagart, L. 1999: The Roots of Old Chinese. Amsterdam [u. a.].
32 Schuessler, A. 2007: ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese. Honolulu.
33 Wei Juxian 衛聚賢 1928: Gǔ shǐ yánjiū 古史研究. Shanghai: Xinyue shudian.
