Original scientific paper

MODAL "TA"

Robert Iljič

Abstract

This paper analyses a variety of Chinese sentences which are common in spoken language. Unfortunately, they have so far been largely disregarded by linguists. The main feature of the sentences is the third-person pronoun tä, which does not have its usual pronominal meaning but is interpreted as having no assignable value. Semantically, sentences containing tä convey a strong emotional charge, perceived as an exhortation to do something to either the speaker himself or to his interlocutor.
Tä does not refer to any constituent of the predicative relationship, it marks an utterance-constituting operation. This is closely related to the location of the predicative relationship with respect to the speaker (locutor), hence, the modal value. This is the reason the term 'tä utterances' is used rather than
'tä sentences ' .
It can be shown that not only ta alone gives a special modal connotation to the predicative relationship, rather this modal value results from the combination of tä with the classifier phrase, whose use is compulsory in such utterances.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

173132

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/173132

Publication date:

24.6.1985.

Article data in other languages: french

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