Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


YangYan2003 mt.pdf (3.42 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Ne in the Novel Honglou Meng (Dream of the Red Chambers): Gender, Social Status and a Sentence-Final Particle

Yang, Yan
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1421163975

Abstract Details

2003, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, East Asian Languages and Literatures.
A corpus-based study was conducted to examine gender and social status differences in using sentence-final particle ne in Mandarin Chinese. The corpus is text of the traditional Chinese novel Honglou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber). Three discourse variables were analyzed: gender-specific amount of speech containing ne, social status related amount of speech containing ne, and functions of ne-utterances. Statistically significant differences are found in the overall distribution patterns by gender and social status as follows: females in Honglou meng produced a greater share of ne-utterance than males; high social class people used the particle ne more frequently than did low social class people. With respect to both the hearers’ gender and social status, the result is as follows: (1) females of high social class used ne more in front of people of similar social status when compared to low social class hearers, and within the same social class group, they utilize more ne-sentences when talking to female hearers; (2) low social class females alter their speech based on gender differences more often than other people: they use ne most often in front of low class females, less frequently to high class females, still less to high class males, and the least to the low class males; (3) high class males utilize ne-sentences most frequently to high class females, less to low class females, even less to high class males and least frequently to low class males; (4) low class males’ order of priority in using ne is with high class males, low class females, low class males, and finally with high class females respectively. Therefore, the hearers’ female gender and high social status are found to be the main factors for use of the particle ne in this study. With respect to functions of the particle ne, in this study SFP ne is most often used as the function of highlighting information in Honglou meng. The second highest frequency function is the use of ne as an interrogative mark. The third highest frequency function is the use of ne in rhetorical questions. Gender differences are further examined in terms of ne’s functions in the corpus. The results are as follows: (1) Men and women in Honglou meng have similar frequencies in using the particle ne to highlight information, as a pause particle, in disjunctive questions, and in assumption questions; (2) Male speakers are more likely to use ne in truncated questions and direct warnings than female speakers; (3) Female speakers use ne in question-word questions and rhetorical questions slightly more frequently than male speakers. Concerning the distribution of the social status of ne-sentences, the hearers’ social class is the most important factor in triggering speakers’ use of ne-sentences. Lastly, concerning the distribution of highlighting information ne-sentences by social status, the hearers’ high social class is the most important factor in significantly greater use of ne-sentences, focused on the function of highlighting information throughout the entire novel. The most important finding of this study is that the hearers’ female gender and hearers’ high social status are the main factors for speakers in Honglou meng to produce more particle ne in their conversations. This study contributes research on the particle ne in terms of language-gender and language-social status interaction in Mandarin Chinese based on the eighteenth century novel, Honglou meng. This study is also a first step in a corpus-based historical study of the particle ne.
Marjorie K.M. Chan (Advisor)
Mark Bender (Committee Member)
79 p.
Asian Literature

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Yang, Y. (2003). Ne in the Novel Honglou Meng (Dream of the Red Chambers): Gender, Social Status and a Sentence-Final Particle [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1421163975

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Yang, Yan. Ne in the Novel Honglou Meng (Dream of the Red Chambers): Gender, Social Status and a Sentence-Final Particle. 2003. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1421163975.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Yang, Yan. "Ne in the Novel Honglou Meng (Dream of the Red Chambers): Gender, Social Status and a Sentence-Final Particle." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1421163975

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1421163975
222
© 2003, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.