Abstract
Objectivity-descriptive feature is feature of psychological adjectives of modifying certain quality of objects when it is not sure whether there are definite experiencers of psychological feelings. Based on whole corpus analysis, this study explores differences in objectivity-descriptive feature of three Chinese psychological adjectives: beishang, shangxin and nanguo. Among the three, beishang has the highest degree of objectivity-descriptive feature, shangxin the second, while nanguo has no objectivity-descriptive feature. Objectivity-descriptive feature leads to the shift of non-psychological adjectives to psychological adjectives, which could explain the complexity of criteria for deciding psychological adjectives, the disagreement between its designation and connotation and so on. The categorization and boundary fuzziness of psychological adjectives could also be shed light on.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
In the word for word translation part of each example, words in capital form mean that their corresponding Chinese are particles and the translation is their grammatical meaning.
- 2.
The asterisk means that the corresponding Chinese sentence is ungrammatical, regardless of the grammaticality of the English translation, so do the following conditions in this paper.
- 3.
These subjects could be syntactic subjects, or subjects in context. For example, the composer in 5.
- 4.
Referring to Institute of Linguistics, CASS: Modern Chinese Dictionary. 7th edn. Beijing: Commercial Press (2018), 434.
References
Feng, Jing. 2003. Semantic analysis of Chinese psychological verbs. Journal of Huaibei Goal Industry Teachers College (Philosophy and Social Sciences): 106–110.
Institute of Linguistics. 2018. CASS: Modern Chinese dictionary, 7th ed. Beijing: Commercial Press.
Kong, Ruolan. 2014. A study on affective adjective with object in modern Chinese. East China Normal University.
Lu, Ying. 2002. A study on affective adjectives. Tianjin Normal University.
Mei, Jiaju (ed.). 1983. Synonymy. Shanghai Lexicographic Publishing House.
Miu, Jun. 2007. Mental attitude adjectives. Reviews and Research on Chinese Literature: 32–37.
Ni, Yuemin. 2015. Temporal research on Chinese affective adjectives. Shanghai Normal University.
Wang, Ran. 2014. The investigation of “Qi Guai” category mental adjectives in modern Chinese. Central China Normal University.
Xu, Rui, and Wenbin Wang. 2005. An analysis of Chinese psych verbs. Journal of Ningbo University (Liberal Arts Edition): 65–75.
Yang, Hua. 1994. Psychological state verbs and types of its objects. Chinese Language Learning: 33–36.
Ying, Jinchen. 2010. A study on Chinese quasi-binary mental adjectives. In Beijing forum of foreign languages and literatures. Central Compilation & Translation Press.
Yu, Weiqi. 2012. Research on the structure of “one + classifier + affective adjective” in modern Chinese. East China Normal University.
Zhang, Hongqian, and Fei Liu. 2011. Research on mental adjective with object structure in modern Chinese. Journal of Dalian University: 83–87.
Zhao, Chunli. 2007. Some principles on the co-occurrence of affective adjectives and nouns. Studies of the Chinese Language: 125–132.
Zhao, Chunli. 2011. Some principles on the co-occurrence of affective adjectives and verbal constructions. Chinese Language Learning: 12–21.
Zhao, Chunli. 2012. Some principles on the co-occurrence of affective adjectives and “De (得)” complements. Language Teaching and Linguistic Studies: 97–104.
Zhao, Jiaxin. 2006. Semantic lattice of Chinese mental adjectives. Nanjing Normal University.
Zhou, Youbin, and Jingmin Shao. 1993. Chinese psychological verbs and its structure. Linguistic Research: 32–48.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Peking University Press
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zhang, S., Li, H. (2020). Analysis of Objectivity-Descriptive Feature of Chinese Psychological Adjectives Based on Corpus: Taking Beishang, Shangxin and Nanguo as Examples. In: Su, Q., Zhan, W. (eds) From Minimal Contrast to Meaning Construct. Frontiers in Chinese Linguistics, vol 9. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9240-6_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9240-6_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-32-9239-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-32-9240-6
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)