Special Multifunctional Adverbs (II)

Abstract

This chapter continues the coverage of six more multifunctional adverbs, namely, jiu (就), you (又), zai (再), hai (还), ke (可), and dao (倒). Besides a thorough account of the fundamental usages of these adverbs, which are laid out, point-by-point, for easy reference, special attention is given to teaching the readers how to interpret the intended meaning of their attitudinal usages within the discourse context. For example, the adverb jiu can express various attitudes such as spite, stubbornness, reluctant acceptance, and belittlement, in addition to its regular usages; thus a simple sentence containing jiu may well have more than one possible reading available. We discuss this common issue of ambiguity with carefully constructed scenarios so that readers can learn to decipher the correct nuance conveyed by such adverbs and gradually develop a more natural sense of understanding their usage. Other important concepts such as scope and territory of information are also introduced in this chapter. They are crucial for foreign learners to appreciate the expressive power of adverbs such as you and ke. Combining attitudinal adverbs into a complex adverb is a very common practice in colloquial Chinese to deal with the ambiguity issue. This chapter discusses a list of complex attitudinal adverbs and their usage.