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International Journal of Chinese Linguistics
Vol. 4:1 (2017) ► pp.62–93

Tense and mood marking in Xining Mandarin

An aspectual account of the particle lia

 | Newcastle University
This study presents a corpus-based analysis of the sentential particle lia 俩 in Xining Mandarin (Qinghai province, northwest China), which functions both as a future tense marker and as an atemporal marker of affirmative mood. Applying the notion of “aspectually sensitive tenses” (de Swart, 1998), the distribution of lia is explained in terms of the selectional restrictions that lia places upon the aspectual class of its complement. In particular, it is argued that lia functions as a future tense marker with dynamic situations, but as a marker of affirmative mood with stative situations.
Keywords: Xining Mandarin, future tense, aspectual selection, mood marking, sentential particle
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Previous studies on lia in the Xining dialect
  • 3.Theoretical background
  • 4.Aspectual selection by lia
  • 5.Future marking with lia
    • 5.1Aspectual selection by future lia
      • 5.1.1Achievement and accomplishment predicates
      • 5.1.2Activity predicates
      • 5.1.3Statives
      • 5.1.4Future lia and pv̩21 不 negation
  • 6.Mood marking with lia
    • 6.1Aspectual selection by modal lia
      • 6.1.1Stative verbs
      • 6.1.2Stative modal auxiliaries
      • 6.1.3Progressives
      • 6.1.4Resultant states
      • 6.1.5Locatives
      • 6.1.6Habitual frequency adverbials
      • 6.1.7Generic predicates
  • 7. Lia is not an irrealis mood marker
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References


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Published online: 4 September 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijchl.4.1.03bel
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