Taiwanese Grammar: A Concise Reference

620 Pages·2015·16.73 MB·English

by  Philip T. Lin

2
Taiwanese Grammar
3
Taiwanese Grammar
a concise reference
Philip T. Lin
4
First published 2015
by Greenhorn Media
To find out more about all of our publications or mobile apps, please visit:
www.gogreenhorn.com
© 2015 Philip T. Lin
Publisher font in Tinos in accordance with the terms of the Apache License, version 2.0.
Publisher font in Noto Sans SJK published under the SIL Open Font License, version 1.1.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form by any
electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publisher.
ISBN13: 978-0-9963982-0-6 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978-0-9963982-1-3 (ebk)
20150704
v2.1
Taiwanese Grammar
5
6
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Preface
Usage Notes
1 Introduction
1.1 Defining the Taiwanese language
1.1.1 Other names
1.1.2 Within the Sinitic language family
1.1.3 Local differences within Taiwan
1.2 Comparing Taiwanese and Mandarin
1.2.1 Origins and development of Chinese languages
1.2.1.1 Min language development
1.2.1.2 Literary and colloquial register
1.2.2 Distinguishing linguistic features
1.2.2.1 Pronunciation differences with Mandarin
1.2.2.2 Vocabulary
1.2.2.3 Grammar
1.3 Taiwan linguistic history
1.3.1 Brief linguistic history of Taiwan
1.3.2 Mandarin as an official language
1.4 Standardization of Taiwanese
1.4.1 Characters
1.4.1.1 Special Taiwanese characters
1.4.1.2 Taiwanese Ministry of Education characters
1.4.2 Romanization schemes
1.4.2.1 ⽩話字 Pe̍h-ōe-jī (POJ)
1.4.2.2 Taiwanese Language Phonetic Alphabet (TLPA)
1.4.2.3 台羅 Tâi-lô (TL)
1.4.2.4 Differences between POJ and TL
1.4.3 Contemporary approaches to reading Taiwanese
2 Pronunciation
2.1 Initials
2.1.1 Aspiration
2.1.2 Voicing
2.1.3 Palatalization
2.1.4 Comparisons to Mandarin initials
2.2 Finals
2.2.1 Nasals
2.2.1.1 Nasal vowels
2.2.1.2 Nasal consonants
2.2.1.3 Syllabic nasal consonants
2.2.2 Stops
2.2.3 Letters o and o͘
2.2.4 Finals -ek, -eng
2.2.5 Comparison to Mandarin finals
Contents
7
2.3 Sound changes
2.3.1 Contractions
2.3.2 Liaision with suffix 仔 -á
2.3.3 Other sound changes
2.4 Regional variation
2.5 Tones
2.5.1 Original tones
2.5.2 Placement of tone diacritics
2.5.3 Tone changes
2.6 Tone change rules
2.6.1 The guiding principle of tone changes
2.6.2 The neutral tone and tone changes
2.6.3 Part of speech based rules
2.6.3.1 Nouns
2.6.3.2 Pronouns
2.6.3.3 Verbs
2.6.3.4 Aspect markers
2.6.3.5 Verb complements
2.6.3.6 Adverbs
2.6.3.7 Question words
2.6.3.8 Location participles
2.6.3.9 Numbers
2.6.3.10 Other parts of speech
2.6.4 Word-specific rules
2.6.4.1 Suffix 仔 -á
2.6.4.2 Names and titles
2.6.4.3 遮 chia ‘here’ and 遐 hia ‘there’
3 Numbers
3.1 Counting numbers
3.1.1 Numbers 0-10
3.1.2 Literary reading for numbers
3.1.3 Numbers 11-99
3.1.4 Numbers 100 and greater
3.1.5 Interior zeroes
3.2 Ordinal numbers
3.3 Partial numbers
3.3.1 Fractions
3.3.2 Rates
3.3.3 Percentages
3.3.4 Discounts
3.3.5 Decimals
3.3.6 Multiples
3.3.7 Arithmetic
3.4 Approximations
3.4.1 Range
3.4.2 Estimates
3.4.3 More than
3.4.4 Less than
3.5 Money
8
4 Nouns
4.1 Noun suffix 仔 -á
4.2 Plural and singular
4.3 Measure words
4.3.1 Numbers with measure word forms
4.3.2 Cognates between Taiwanese and Mandarin measure words
4.3.3 Differences between Taiwanese and Mandarin measure words
4.4 Plural marked by group measure words
4.5 Plural marked by 幾 kúi ‘several’
4.6 Demonstratives
4.6.1 Demonstrative adjectives – singular
4.6.2 Demonstrative adjectives – plural specified number
4.6.3 Demonstrative adjectives – plural unspecified number
4.7 Omitting the noun
4.8 Possessive
4.8.1 Using the possessive marker 的 ê
4.8.2 Implied possession with close personal relations or titles
4.8.3 Implied possession before demonstrative adjectives
4.9 Definite and indefinite nouns
5 Pronouns
5.1 Personal pronouns
5.1.1 Subject and object personal pronouns
5.1.2 Exclusive and inclusive ‘we’
5.1.3 Plural personal pronouns
5.1.4 Gender in personal pronouns
5.1.5 Honorific personal pronouns
5.2 Reflexive pronouns
5.2.1 Subject receives the action
5.2.2 Subject performs action alone
5.3 Possessive pronouns
5.3.1 Using the possessive marker 的 ê
5.3.2 Plural personal pronouns marking possession
5.3.3 Possession by using demonstrative adjectives
5.4 Demonstrative pronouns
5.4.1 Singular demonstrative pronouns
5.4.2 Plural demonstrative pronouns
5.4.3 Unspecified demonstrative pronouns
5.5 Indefinite pronouns
5.5.1 Expressing ‘any-’, ‘every-’, or ‘-ever’
5.5.2 Expressing ‘no-’ or ‘not any’
5.5.3 Expressing ‘some-’
6 Adjectives
6.1 Intensifiers
6.1.1 Common intensifiers
6.1.2 Placeholder intensifier
6.2 Absolute adjectives
6.3 Comparisons
6.3.1 Comparisons using 比 pí … 較 khah ‘compared with…more than’
6.3.2 Comparisions using 比較 pí-kàu ‘to compare’
Contents
9
6.3.3 Implicit comparisons
6.3.4 Specifying how much difference in a comparison
6.3.5 Comparing actions
6.3.6 Negating a comparison
6.3.7 Comparisons expressing inferiority
6.3.8 Comparisons expressing equality
6.3.9 Comparative degree
6.3.10 Superlative degree
6.4 Desirable and undesirable adjectives
6.4.1 Adjective structure based on desirability
6.4.2 Verb choice based on adjective desirability
6.4.3 Negation based on adjective desirability
6.5 Adjectives with verb characteristics
6.5.1 Change-of-state particle 矣 --ah
6.5.2 Describing conditions that have worsened 去 --khì
6.6 Noun phrases and the modifying particle 的 ê
6.6.1 Adjectives with modifying particle 的 ê
6.6.2 Nouns, verbs, and phrases that modify with 的 ê
6.6.3 Nouns that modify without 的 ê
6.6.4 Omitting the head noun (nominalization)
6.6.5 Multiple modifiers in sequence
6.6.5.1 Modifiers (background)
6.6.5.2 Modifiers (properties)
6.6.5.3 Co-occurring modifiers
6.7 Repetition
6.7.1 Reduplication with single-syllable adjectives
6.7.2 Reduplication with two-syllable adjectives
6.7.3 Exceeding suffix
6.8 Expressions with adjectives describing change
6.8.1 Changes over time
6.8.2 Changes that cause other changes
7 Action verbs
7.1 Open-ended action verbs
7.1.1 Specifying the duration
7.1.2 Specifying the frequency
7.1.3 Specifying the endpoint
7.1.4 Default objects
7.1.5 Including both objects and duration
7.1.6 Including both objects and frequency
7.2 Change-of-state action verbs
7.2.1 Change-of-state verbs in the continuous aspect
7.2.2 Change-of-state verbs doubling as stative verbs
8 Aspect
8.1 Perfective aspect
8.1.1 Perfective aspect with 有 ū
8.1.2 Perfective aspect with phase complements
8.2 Continuous aspect
8.2.1 Dynamic continuous aspect
8.2.1.1 Dynamic continuous aspect marker 咧 teh
10
8.2.1.2 Emphasizing the immediacy of an action
8.2.2 Static continuous aspect
8.2.2.1 Describing a manner of existence
8.2.2.2 Describing a continued posture
8.2.2.3 Describing repetitive movements
8.2.3 Verbs exhibiting both dynamic and static aspects
8.3 Experiential aspect
8.3.1 Experiential aspect with 捌 bat
8.3.2 Experiential aspect with 過 -kòe
8.3.3 Experiential aspect with both 捌 bat and 過 -kòe
8.4 Anterior aspect
8.4.1 Anterior aspect particle 矣 --ah
8.4.2 Anterior with other aspects
8.5 Habitual aspect
8.5.1 Habitual actions in the present
8.5.2 Habitual actions in the past
8.6 Tentative aspect
8.6.1 Reduplicating the verb
8.6.2 Adding the phrase ⼀下 --chı̍t-ē
8.6.3 Adding the phrase 看覓 khòaⁿ-māi
8.6.4 Attaching verbs to 試 chhì
8.7 Summary of aspect
9 Stative Verbs
9.1 Common stative verbs
9.2 Stative verbs and intensifiers
9.3 Stative verbs and continuous aspect
9.4 Stative verbs in the past
10 Special verbs
10.1 是 sī
10.1.1 是 sī as a linking verb
10.1.2 是 sī in the focusing construction
10.1.3 是 sī marking the passive voice
10.1.4 是 sī expressing existence
10.2 有 ū
10.2.1 有 ū expressing possession
10.2.2 有 ū expressing existence
10.2.3 有 ū as a perfective aspect maker
10.2.4 有 ū as an emphasis marker
10.2.5 有 ū as a habitual aspect marker
10.2.6 有 ū with verb complements
10.2.6.1 Phase complements with 有 ū
10.2.6.2 Potential complements with 有 ū
10.2.7 有 ū with desirable adjectives
10.3 佇 tī
10.3.1 佇 tī expressing existence at a specific location
10.3.2 佇 tī as a preposition
10.3.3 佇咧 tī-leh as a continuous aspect marker
11 Verb complements
11.1 Phase complements