LINGUIST List 22.3 Tue Jan 04 2011 Diss: Phonology/Semantics: Wakefield: 'The English Equivalents of ...' Editor for this issue: Mfon Udoinyang <mfonlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     John Wakefield , The English Equivalents of Cantonese Sentence-final Particles Message 1: The English Equivalents of Cantonese Sentence-final Particles Date: 29-Dec-2010 From: John Wakefield <clinton.wakefieldgmail.com> Subject: The English Equivalents of Cantonese Sentence-final Particles E-mail this message to a friend Institution: Hong Kong Polytechnic University Program: Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2011 Author: John C. Wakefield Dissertation Title: The English Equivalents of Cantonese Sentence-final Particles Linguistic Field(s): Phonology                             Semantics Subject Language(s): Chinese, Yue (yue) Dissertation Director: Dingxu Shi Sze-Wing Tang Dissertation Abstract: Cantonese has a lexical tone system that severely restricts its ability to manipulate pitch. As a result, many of the speaker-oriented discourse meanings that are expressed through intonation in languages such as English are expressed in the form of sentence-final particles (SFPs) in Cantonese. Although this is widely known and accepted by linguists, apparently no study to date has made a systematic attempt to discover whether any of the more than 30 Cantonese SFPs have English intonational equivalents, and if so, what those equivalents are. To work towards filling this research gap, this study examines the English intonational equivalents of four Cantonese SFPs that divide into the following two pairs: particles of obviousness: lo1 and aa1maa3; question particles: me1 and aa4. The purpose of this research is to increase our understanding of the syntax and semantics of both Cantonese SFPs and English discourse intonation. In pursuit of this goal, the English equivalent of each of the four SFPs of this study is identified by examining the pitch contours of Cantonese-to-English audio translations, which were provided by Cantonese/English native-bilingual participants. In addition to identifying an English-equivalent form, a definition is developed for each SFP which is hypothesized to apply equally to its English intonational counterpart. Each definition is written using Wierzbicka's (1996) natural semantic metalanguage (NSM). Applying the Chomskyan generative grammar framework, the syntax of the SFPs and their English equivalents are examined in light of past proposals for the syntactic position of various SFPs, adopting Rizzi's (1997) split-CP hypothesis. The findings support the literature's claim that the meanings expressed by (at least some) Cantonese SFPs are expressed in English through the use of intonation. The findings strongly indicate that these four SFPs are comparable to identifiable forms of English pitch contours that express the same (or nearly the same) meanings as their SFP counterparts. Following proposals of Hirst's (1983a) regarding 'emphatic intonation', these pitch contours are proposed to be floating tones that exist as lexical entries in the minds of native-English speakers. It is argued that this study sheds light on the nature of the phonological and syntactic parameters that determine the different forms by which languages express certain discourse-related meanings, i.e., either through the use of SFPs, or through the use of floating tones, both of which head phrases within the CP domain. The findings have far reaching implications regarding the descriptions and classifications of intonation, as well as regarding the classifications of the various forms of suprasegmentals. The results of this research come from an investigation that went from the direction of segmental SFPs to suprasegmental intonation. It therefore used a non-abstract form to discover an abstract form, thereby exploiting a unique window through which to examine the forms and meanings of English discourse intonation, which is one of the least understood and most difficult to study aspects of English. In using this 'new' instrument for looking at English intonation, this research has arguably provided the strongest and clearest evidence to date regarding the forms and meanings of the particular forms of English intonation with which it deals. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 04-Jan-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.