The Chinese character you (有): A functional approach

Abstract

Based on the Cardiff Grammar – one model of Systemic Functional Linguistics – we investigated the uses of the Chinese character you (有), aiming to specify its semantic and syntactic functions in different contexts. Our study is guided by three functional linguistic description principles: (i) language is multifunctional; (ii) meaning is primary while form realises meaning; and (iii) different strands of meaning are realised by a single syntactic structure. The findings show that you (有) expounds the Predicator element in the clause when it expresses possession, existence, occurrence/appearance, or quantity/degree; the Predicator Extension element when it completes the experiential meaning of the Predicator; the Operator element when it expresses the interpersonal or emphatic meaning; the Auxiliary element when it expresses the temporal meaning; the predicator of the prepositional phrase when it expresses the passive or comparative meaning; and the determiner of the nominal group when it expresses the partitive meaning. The quasi-fixed phrases containing you (有) should be taken as a whole, and it performs different semantic and syntactic functions.