Abstract
In Chinese locative expressions, the spatial relation between Figure and Ground is encoded not only by prepositions but also by localizers. Within prepositional phrases (PPs), prepositions and localizers have distinct functions: prepositions, which are either static or dynamic, denote the path of Figure, whereas localizers denote the region or dimension of Figure with respect to Ground and encode topological or projective relations between them. There are two locative constructions in Chinese—[P + NP] and [P + [NP + L]]—which indicate that localizers in locative expressions may be obligatory, not allowed, or optional. The distribution of localizers is generally determined by three factors: the types of localizers, the properties of noun phrases (NPs), and the number of syllables in NPs. Among the three distribution patterns—obligatory, not allowed, and optional—the optional use of localizers is the most complicated, which is closely related to the semantic interpretation of a locative expression. The theory of degree of explicitness provides a good explanation for the presence of localizers, and the theory of routine sociale “social routine” adequately accounts for the absence of localizers.
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Notes
- 1.
The existence of an entity in a location can also be expressed by a complement that occurs in the initial position of a sentence and functions as a locative subject, for example, 桌子上有一杯水 zhuōzi_shàng_yǒu_yībēi_shuǐ (table_up_there-is_one_CL_water) There is a glass of water on the table. This type of construction is generally called an “existential” or “presentative” construction in Chinese linguistics. Since this is not the focus of this chapter, it will not be discussed further.
- 2.
This type of structure is called “circumposition” by some linguists, for example, Liu 劉丹青 (2003), among others. However, there are also linguists who do not agree with this circumpositional treatment. For example, Sun (2008: 200) claimed that there are neither postpositions nor circumpositions in Chinese. A detailed discussion of this issue will not be given because the debate is beyond the scope of this chapter.
- 3.
Although the localizer 下 xià “down” denotes that the coincident relation is not common, such as 口香糖黏在桌子下 kǒuxiāngtáng_nián_zài_zhuōzi_xià (chewing-gum_stick_at_table_down) The chewing gum is stuck underneath the table, it should still be distinguished from 下 xià “down,” which denotes a projective relation, as in 貓躺在桌子下 māo_tǎng_zài_zhuōzi_xià (cat_lie_at_table_down) The cat is lying under the table.
- 4.
Qualia structure, defined by Pustejovsky (1998: 289), is a framework that deals with “how words can have different meanings in different contexts, how new senses can emerge compositionally, and how semantic types predictably map to syntactic forms in language.” A telic qualia is one of the four basic roles that encode “information on purpose and function” (Pustejovsky and Zezek 2016: 7).
- 5.
Noting that the list is not exhaustive, only some examples that show tendency are listed due to the space constraints of this chapter.
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Acknowledgments
The findings reported in this chapter are partially based on a research project sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan under grant number NSC 99-2410-H-024-027. I would also like to express my gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments on the original paper.
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Hsiung, HJ. (2023). Chinese Locative Expressions: Prepositions and Localizers. In: Huang, CR., Hsieh, SK., Jin, P. (eds) Chinese Language Resources. Text, Speech and Language Technology, vol 49. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38913-9_20
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