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Part of
Integrating Chinese Linguistic Research and Language Teaching and Learning
Edited by Hongyin Tao
[Studies in Chinese Language and Discourse 7] 2016
► pp. 145–168

Prosody and discourse functions of ranhou 然后

With implications for teaching Mandarin conjunctions at the discourse level

ORCID logo | University of California, Los Angeles

This paper attempts to integrate linguistic research with language teaching, taking ranhou as a case study. It first explores the discourse functions of ranhou. Three functions have thus been identified, i.e. TCU extension, turn continuation and new topic initiation. Then, it examines the prosodic features associated with each discourse function, including duration, gap, and pitch. Finally, this paper discusses the ways in which the findings can be applied pedagogically and demonstrates the feasibility to teach discourse functions and prosody in the classroom.

Keywords: conjunctions, discourse functions, Mandarin teaching, prosody
Published online: 3 October 2016
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/scld.7.08wan
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