
Numeral Classifier Systems
The Case of Japanese
Pamela A. Downing(Author)
John Benjamins Publishing Co
Published on 20. September 1996
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-90-272-2614-3 (ISBN)
Description
Numeral Classifier Systems considers the functional significance of the Japanese numeral system, its conclusions based on a corpus of 500 uses of classifier constructions drawn from oral and written Japanese texts.
Interestingly, although the Japanese system appears to conform at least superficially to universalistic predictions about its semantic structure, this study reports that in actual usage, the semantic role of classifiers is slight - only very rarely do they carry any lexical information unavailable from the context or the noun with which the classifier occurs. It does appear, however, that the system has an important role to play in providing pronoun-like anaphoric elements and in marking pragmatic distinctions such as the individuatedness of referents and the newness of numerical information. For these reasons, the classifier system is deeply involved in a number of subsystems of Japanese grammar, and the demise of the system (sometimes rumored to be impending) would have substantial implications for the structure of the language as a whole.
Interestingly, although the Japanese system appears to conform at least superficially to universalistic predictions about its semantic structure, this study reports that in actual usage, the semantic role of classifiers is slight - only very rarely do they carry any lexical information unavailable from the context or the noun with which the classifier occurs. It does appear, however, that the system has an important role to play in providing pronoun-like anaphoric elements and in marking pragmatic distinctions such as the individuatedness of referents and the newness of numerical information. For these reasons, the classifier system is deeply involved in a number of subsystems of Japanese grammar, and the demise of the system (sometimes rumored to be impending) would have substantial implications for the structure of the language as a whole.
Reviews / Votes
Pamela Downing's book should be of great interest to all linguists working on classifiers. -- Christopher I. Beckwith, Indiana UniversityMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 245 mm
Width: 164 mm
Weight
610 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-272-2614-3 (9789027226143)
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E-Book
09/1996
1st Edition
John Benjamins Publishing Company
€149.99
Available for download
Person
Content
1. Preface; 2. Transcription Conventions; 3. Key to Charts, Figures, and Tables; 4. 1. Introduction; 5. 2. The Japanese System - History and Morphology; 6. 3. Semantic Properties of System Members; 7. 4. Structure of the lexical Field; 8. 5. Instantiation of Universal Semantic Trends in the Japanese Numeral Classifier System; 9. 6. The Anaphoric Use of Classifier Phrases; 10. 7. The Use of Classifier Phrases and Plural Markers as Individuators; 11. 8. The Syntactic Position of the Numeral-Classifier Phrase; 12. 9. Diachronic prognosis; 13. Notes; 14. Appendix 1: Questionnaire Instructions; 15. Appendix 2: Forms Listed on Questionnaire; 16. References; 17. Index