현대중국어 부사 ‘也’의 의미 분석 = A Semantic Analysis of the Adverb ‘YE’

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

e meaning of YE cannot be determined from the clause containing YE alone; both that clause and the preceding clause must be present for its meaning to be derived. Accordingly, this paper adopts Yang Yiming’s (1988) proposal that YE expresses “the addition of an item of the same type.” He argues that YE functions to add new information through the clause in which it appears. If we accept his view, the meaning of YE can be explained solely on the basis of the clause that contains it.
If we take the basic meaning of YE to be “adding another item of the same type,” several previously difficult-to-explain meanings of YE can be accounted for. First, YE can express attenuation, because the entity added by YE is not a prototypical member exhibiting the relevant property; for this reason, it conveys a weakened sense, from which the meaning of euphemistic mood can be derived. In addition, YE may indicate the presentation of additional information. When conflicting views exist on a currently debated issue, YE can negate the basic presupposition of the relevant content, making it impossible for those opposing views to stand. In this way, it can also express a ‘refutative mood’.