Between bare nouns and demonstratives
An experimental study of referent identifiability in Mandarin Chinese
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21822816 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yao Huang (0000-0003-4291-3484, University of Connecticut), Huang Yao (0000-0001-5055-4106, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 305-343 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-25 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Chinese Language and Discourse An International and Interdisciplinary Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1877-7031 • E-ISSN: 1877-8798 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/cld.24037.hua |
| OpenAlex | W4410737290 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
Identifiability, a universal semantic notion for referential interpretation, is realized differently across languages. While many languages encode identifiability via morphosyntactic definiteness (e.g., articles the and a / an in English), Mandarin lacks overt (in)definite articles and instead relies on alternative mechanisms to achieve similar meanings. This study examines how Mandarin speakers navigate identifiability, specifically focusing on two primary nominal strategies: bare nouns and demonstrative descriptions. A category judgment and forced-choice task were conducted to explore how Mandarin speakers use these forms in four types of contexts. Findings indicate that, although both bare nouns and demonstratives are acceptable for denoting anaphorically identifiable referents in Mandarin, speakers show a clear preference for demonstrative descriptions. This preference diverges from English, where the definite article ( the ) is generally favored over demonstratives ( that ) in comparable contexts. This contrast underscores inherent semantic distinctions between article-languages and article-less languages. It contributes to our broader understanding of identifiability expression cross-linguistically
Linguistics · Noun · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Mathematics · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
A grammar of spoken Chinese.
Demonstratives
Definiteness
The Syntax of Chinese
Mandarin Chinese
Efficiency and Complexity in Grammars
An investigation of the lumps of thought
Uniqueness in Definite Noun Phrases
Number Marking and (in)Definiteness in Kind Terms
Ii.—on Denoting
Plurality in a Classifier Language
Definites
That ’s not so different from the
On (in)definite articles
Identifiability and definiteness in Chinese
Quantification in Mandarin Chinese
Two Kinds of Definites Cross-linguistically
Articulated Definiteness without Articles
Bare and Not-So-Bare Nouns and the Structure of NP
Argument Determiner Phrases and Number Phrases
The emergence of a grammatical category definite article in spoken Chinese
Reference to Kinds across Language
| Highly cited | No |
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