Wang2020b

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Wang2020b
BibType ARTICLE
Key Wang2020b
Author(s) Wei Wang
Title Grammatical conformity in question-answer sequences: The case of meiyou in Mandarin conversation
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Mandarin Chinese, Q-word question, grammatical conformity, meiyou, negative particle, polar question, response
Publisher
Year 2020
Language English
City
Month
Journal Discourse Studies
Volume 22
Number 5
Pages 610–631
URL Link
DOI 10.1177/1461445620916371
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

This article probes into grammatical conformity in Mandarin by examining meiyou, a multifunctional negative form, in question-answer sequences. Using a conversation analysis approach, it discovers that, as a conforming answer to polar questions, meiyou acquiesces to all the terms and constraints of the question and maximizes the progressivity of the sequence. As a non-conforming response to polar questions, it mitigates the disagreement by avoiding a pointed syntactic negation. Meiyou can also respond to Q-word questions, problematizing the inference incorporated in the question. This study not only contributes to the cross-linguistic research on negative particles in talk-in-interaction but also reveals that grammatical conformity is a crucial dimension in Mandarin response design, providing further confirmation of the link between grammar, action, and sequence organization.

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