Cover not available
Article published In:
International Journal of Chinese Linguistics
Vol. 2:1 (2015) ► pp.33–56

Indefinite article or numeral one?

A Study of iʔ5 ‘one’ in Shiposheng

| Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
| South China Normal University
| The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| University of Macau
This paper investigates iʔ5 ‘one’ in Shiposheng, a vernacular dialect spoken in the north of Guangdong Province. Though iʔ5 in Shiposheng and yi ‘one’ in Mandarin share similar usages, they behave differently when cooccurring with the demonstrative, i.e., iʔ5 in Shiposheng cannot follow the demonstrative as its Mandarin counterpart does. It is proposed that the numeral for ‘one’ in Shiposheng is grammaticalized to an indefinite article, while yi ‘one’ in Mandarin is still a numeral though it could be used as an indefinite article in some cases. The different behaviors of the Mandarin yi ‘one’ and the Shiposheng iʔ5 are due to their distinct grammatical status.
Keywords: indefinite article, numeral for ‘one’, demonstrative, numeral
Published online: 10 July 2015
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijchl.2.1.02zha
References (27)
Abbott, B. (2004). Definiteness and indefiniteness. In L.R. Horn & G. Ward (Eds.), Handbook of pragmatics (pp. 122–149). Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Cheng, L., & Sybesma, R. (1999). Bare and not-so-bare nouns and the structure of NP. Linguistic Inquiry, 41, 509–542. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Diesing, M. (1992). Indefinites. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Dryer, M.S. (2013). Indefinite articles. In M.S. Dryer & M. Haspelmath (Eds.), The world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. (Available online at [URL])Google Scholar
Enç, M. (1991). The semantics of specificity. Linguistic Inquiry, 221, 1–25.Google Scholar
Farkas, D. (1994). Specificity and scope. In L. Nash & G. Tsoulas (Eds.), Langues et Grammaires, 11, (pp. 119–137.) Paris: University of Paris VIII.Google Scholar
. (2002). Specificity distinctions. Journal of Semantics, 191, 213–243. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gu, Y. (2009). ‘langai, mi’ yu Jingpo yu shuming jiegou zaixi [Reanalysis on langai, mi and Numeral Noun Phrase Structure of Jingpo]. Yuyan Kexue [Linguistic Sciences], 31, 225–238.Google Scholar
Hu, J., & Shi, D. (2005). Wanju tiaojian yu zhicheng tezheng de yunzhun [Conditions on sentence completeness and the licensing of referential features]. Yuyan Kexue [Linguistic Sciences], 51, 42–49.Google Scholar
Huang, C.-T.J., Li, A.Y.-H., & Li, Y. (2009). The syntax of Chinese. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hurford, J.R. (1994). Grammar: A student’s guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Ionin, T. (2010). Specificity. In L. Cummings (Ed). The pragmatics encyclopedia (pp. 449–453). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Kiparsky, P. (2011). Grammaticalization and optimization. In D. Jonas, J. Whitman, & A. Garret (Eds.), Grammatical change: Origins, nature and outcomes. (pp. 15–51). Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kong, L. (1994). Yingxiang hanyu juzi zizu de yuyan xingshi [Linguistic forms affecting the self-sufficiency of the sentences in Chinese]. Zhongguo Yuwen [Studies of the Chinese Language], 61, 434–440.Google Scholar
Kuang, Y. (2002). Yue bei Shiposheng tuhua qu de yuyan shenghuo [The language life of the Shiposheng speaking area of North Guangdong]. Yuyan Yanjiu [Studies in Language and Linguistics], 21, 45–51.Google Scholar
Li, Y.-H.A. (1998). Argument determiner phrases and number phrases. Linguistic Inquiry, 291, 693–702. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. (1999). Plurality in a classifier language. Journal of East Asian Linguistics, 81, 75–99. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Li, N., & Thompson, S. (1981). Mandarin Chinese: A functional reference grammar. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Lin, L., Kuang, Y., & Zhuang, C. (1995). Shaoguan shi jinjiao “Shiposheng” de chubu yanjiu [A preliminary study of Shiposheng in the suburbs of Shaoguan]. Shaoguan Daxue Xuebao [Journal of Shaoguan University], (Social science edition) 11, 35–48.Google Scholar
Longobardi, G. (1994). Reference and proper names. Linguistic Inquiry, 251, 609–665.Google Scholar
Lyons, C. (1999). Definiteness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Milsark, G. (1974). Existential sentences in English. PhD dissertation: MIT.Google Scholar
Russell, B. (1905). On denoting. Mind, 141, 479–493. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tang, S.-W. (2003). Shuliang ci zhuyu de zhicheng he qingtai [The referentiality and modality of numeral subject]. Yufa Yanjiu he Tansuo [Grammatical Studies and Exploration], 121, 292–308, Beijing: Commercial Press.Google Scholar
. (2006). Hanyu fangyan shoushi huati ju leixing de canshu fenxi [A parametric analysis to the patient topic construction across Chinese dialects]. Yuyan Kexue [Linguistic Sciences], 61, 3–11.Google Scholar
Tsai, W.-T.D. (2008). Tense anchoring in Chinese. Lingua, 118(5), 675–686. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Zhuang, C. (2009). Yue Bei Tuhua Yinyun Yanjiu [The Phonological Study of the Vernacular Dialects in North Guangdong]. Beijing: China Social Sciences Press.Google Scholar
Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Xiong, Jiajuan & Chu-Ren Huang
2020. QP for indefiniteness: With special reference to Sinhala and Chinese. Lingua 236 ► pp. 102793 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 3 august 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.