Chinese Dialectal Parameterisation in Cantonese Teaching

Abstract

Using formal parameters and universal cartography, it is possible to account for linguistic variation in Chinese dialects, which display systematic microvariation within a common core grammar. This is particularly useful for the teaching of Chinese as a second language, as there is a  growing interest in Chinese, not only in standard Mandarin but also in Cantonese which is immensely popular in the West and mainland China. As cartography seeks a universal word order from which language-specific parameter-settings are derived, the following schemata can account for Chinese dialects:

• C(omp) Subj(ect) T(ense) Adv(erb) V(erb)-Aff(ix) Obj(ect) S(entence) F(inal)P(article)
• Possessor Poss Dem(onstrative) Num(ber) Q(uantifier) Cl(assifier) Adj(ective) N(oun)

In the clausal (1) and nominal (2) domains, the head-initiality of Chinese correlates with commonly spoken languages like English and Romance, which facilitates the acquisition of Chinese by many foreigners. Furthermore, these schemata permit a systematic account of the microvariation between Chinese dialects, since while Mandarin and Cantonese share forms for the same categories (e.g. C: 因爲because… 所以and so…, 雖然although… 但是/係but…, 如果if… 就then…; T: 會will/shall, 應該should, 要must, 想want; V-aff: completive aspectual 了/咗, anterior aspectual 過, stative aspectual 著/住; Poss: 的/嘅, Dem: 這/呢 (proximal), 那/嗰 (distal)), dialectal variation can be classified in three types: 1) dialectal forms exist in Cantonese but not in Mandarin e.g. progressive V-aff 緊 (3) 2) different word order, namely Cantonese postverbal adverbs and Mandarin preverbal ones (先’before’ (4), 多’more’ (5), 少’less’ (6)) 3) new constructions, like Cantonese classifiers heading noun phrases denoting articles, which indicates Cl-to-Poss movement (7):

• 外邊                响度       落-緊                    雨   /       外面       正在       下           雨

outside             AUX      fall-PROG            rain        outside  AUX      fall              rain

‘It is raining outside.’ (Cantonese/Mandarin)

• 我哋 行           先           /              我們       先           走

we      go           first                       we          first        go

‘Let’s go first.’ (Cantonese/Mandarin) 

5a)  我哋  諗-住                    再           住           多           三           日     

        we     think-ASP            again      live         more      three      day     

5b)  我們  想-著                    再           多           住           三           天

     we    think-ASP            again      more      live        three      day

  ‘We are thinking of staying for three more days.’ (Cantonese(5a)/Mandarin(5b))

6a)   我 俾                少           十           分           嗰           個           學生   

      I    give           less        ten          mark      that        CL          student 

6b)   我   少             給           那           個           學生       十           分

      I     less           give        that        CL          student  ten          mark

        ‘I gave ten marks less to that student.’ (Cantonese(6a)/Mandarin(6b))

7a)   架      車           阻-住                    個           出口      

     CL     car          block-ASP           CL          exit        

7b)   這     輛           車           阻-著                    出口

      this   CL          car          block-ASP           exit

        ‘The car is blocking the exit.’ (Cantonese(7a)/Mandarin(7b))

Based on these examples, the dialectal parametric setting for Cantonese can be represented thus:

8)      C      Subj     T     Adv     V-Aff(緊)         Obj            Adv (多/少/先)    SFP

9)      Possessor       Poss (CL-D)         Dem       Num       Q            Cl           Adj         N