NP COORDINATION IN MEDIEVAL CHINESE: A DISCOURSE APPROACH

Abstract

This paper deals with the historical development, from a discourse perspective, of nominal (NP) coordination from Early Medieval Chinese, as reflected in Shishuo Xinyu 世说新语 to Late Medieval Chinese, as reflected in Dunhuang Bianwen 敦煌变文 It is shown that simple juxtaposition (or zero form) is the basic device used throughout Medieval Chinese. Conjunctions are found to appear with conjuncts that are either non-specific, or specific but sub-dividable in terms of discourse context and conception. The distinction between coordination and comitatives is maintained through a comparison of a cluster of discourse properties such as anaphora, topicality and empathy, as exhibited in the NPs of the two constructions. We show that the most prominent development from Early Medieval Chinese to Late Medieval Chinese is the grammaticization of sub-dividability. Based on the observation that unitary NPs tend to be expressed with simple juxtaposition and distant NPs overt conjunction, we propose the iconicity principle to account for the grammar of NP coordination in Medieval Chinese.