Definite-like meaning of bare classifiers in Nung

IF 0.6 3区文学 0 LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS

Functions of Language Pub Date : 2023-12-18 DOI:10.1075/fol.22042.lam

Esther Lam

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Abstract

Nung (Tai, Kra-Dai) is a numeral-classifier language that contains the Classifier-Noun (cl-n, or “bare classifier”) construction. Drawing on Langacker’s Cognitive Grammar (Langacker 1987, 2004, 2008, 2017) (CG), I argue that the use of a Nung cl-n phrase is only possible when it refers to a unique instance in the current discourse frame of the current discourse space. This explains why cl-n phrases show a definite-like meaning contrast with other types of nominal phrases (NPs) in Nung, as well as why Nung cl-n phrases can be interpreted as either specific or non-specific indefinite. This paper makes two theoretical contributions. Firstly, it shows that the existing theory of numeral classifiers within CG, which is based on the unitization function of numeral classifiers, is not sufficient to account for the meaning contrast between cl-n and other types of NP in Nung. Secondly, given that a referent that exists in the current discourse frame need not exist in the actual world or pre-exist in the discourse, this paper illustrates how a referent can satisfy a presupposition of uniqueness without satisfying a presupposition of existence in the actual world or in the discourse.

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侬语中裸分类词的类定语意义

侬语（傣语、克拉傣语）是一种包含分类词-名词（cl-n，或 "裸分类词"）结构的数字分类词语言。借鉴 Langacker 的认知语法（Langacker，1987 年、2004 年、2008 年、2017 年）（CG），我认为侬语 cl-n 短语只有在指称当前话语空间的当前话语框架中的唯一实例时才有可能使用。这就解释了为什么侬语中的cl-n短语与其他类型的名词性短语（NPs）呈现出类似于定语的意义对比，也解释了为什么侬语中的cl-n短语既可以被解释为特定的，也可以被解释为非特定的不确定的。本文在理论上有两个贡献。首先，它表明现有的基于数字分类器单位化功能的 CG 中数字分类器理论不足以解释侬语中 cl-n 与其他类型 NP 的意义对比。其次，鉴于存在于当前话语框架中的指称不一定存在于现实世界或话语中，本文说明了指称如何在不满足存在于现实世界或话语中的预设的情况下满足唯一性预设。

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来源期刊

Functions of Language Multiple-

CiteScore

1.30

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Functions of Language is an international journal of linguistics which explores the functionalist perspective on the organisation and use of natural language. It encourages the interplay of theory and description, and provides space for the detailed analysis, qualitative or quantitative, of linguistic data from a broad range of languages. Its scope is broad, covering such matters as prosodic phenomena in phonology, the clause in its communicative context, and regularities of pragmatics, conversation and discourse, as well as the interaction between the various levels of analysis. The overall purpose is to contribute to our understanding of how the use of languages in speech and writing has impacted, and continues to impact, upon the structure of those languages.