TEMPORAL RELATIONS AMONG MANDARIN SENTENCES WITHOUT ASPECT MARKERS
Jiun-Shiung Wu
wujs@mail.ncyu.edu.tw
Department of Foreign Languages
National Chiayi University
Determining the temporal relations among clauses is an important part if an accurate
interpretation of a discourse is desired. Asher and Lascarides (2003) propose that the
sentences in a coherent discourse are connected to each other by appropriate rhetorical
relations and that temporal relations, among other things, are determined by rhetorical
relations. They also propose that rhetorical relations are determined by cue phrases, lexical
information, etc.
Based on Asher and Lascarides’ idea, in a series of papers (Wu 2006a, 2006b, 2005b,
2004), I argue that the semantics of the aspect markers in Mandarin indirectly influence
temporal relations via rhetorical relations. Aspect markers can specify a default rhetorical
relation, which kicks in when no contextual information specifies any rhetorical relation, and
aspect markers also exert a constraint on which rhetorical relation can connect a clause with a
particular aspect marker with an adjacent clause.
However, Smith and Erbaugh (2000) point out that in Mandarin written discourse, aspect
markers are not required and are oftentimes omitted. In order to explore how the temporal
relations between clauses with no aspect markers are determined, in my paper (Wu 2005a), I
examines data without aspect markers and propose that the situation type of an eventuality
defeasibly specifies a rhetorical relation, which in turn determines the temporal relation. This
is a defeasible inference because it can be overridden. In addition to cue phrases or other
lexical information, it also plays a role whether a sentence refers to an eventuality realized at
a specific time and location. For example, a generalizing sentence does not refer to any
specific eventuality that has a fixed tempo-spatial realization. Therefore, a generalizing
sentence will override the rhetorical relation specified by the predicate in it.
REFERENCES
Asher, Nicholas, and Alex Lascarides. 2003. Logics of Conversation. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Smith, Carlota and Mary Erbaugh. 2000. “Temporal Information in Sentences of Mandarin.”
Proceedings of the First Conference on Modern Chinese Grammar for the New
Millennium. Hong Kong.
Wu, Jiun-Shiung. 2006a. “Semantic Difference between the Two Imperfective Markers in
Mandarin and Its Implication on Temporal Relations.” Paper accepted by Journal of
Chinese Linguistics.
---. 2006b. “Aspectual Influence on Temporal Relations: A Case Study of Experiential Guo in
Mandarin.” On-line Pre-Proceedings of Explicit and Implicit Information in Text:
Information Structure Across Languages. University of Oslo, Norway.
---. 2005a. “Temporal Relations in Mandarin: A Pilot Study of Examples with No Aspect
Markers.” Proceedings of the First International Symposium on the Exploration and
Modeling of Meaning (SEM05). Eds. M. Aurnague, M. Bras, A. Le Draoulec and L. Vieu.
Biarritz: ERSS-CNRS.
---. 2005b. “Aspectual Influence on Temporal Relations: Evidence from the Perfective le in
Mandarin.” LACUS Forum XXXI: Interconnections. Eds. Adam Makkai, William J.
Sullivan, and Arle R. Lommel. Houston: LACUS.
---. 2004. “Aspectual Influence on Temporal Relations: Evidence from the Progressive zai
and the Durative zhe.” Proceedings of the 16th North American Conference on Chinese
Linguistics. LA: USC.