Re: [xmca] intonation and meaning

Thanks for the very interesting examples from Cantonese. I'd forgotten
about "particles"; they are used a lot for the purposes for which we
mainly use intonation in English, in other languages as well.

Yes, it's a dissertation for sure. Maybe a few. An edited volume I'd
like to see someone else do.

JAY.

Jay Lemke
Professor
Educational Studies
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
www.umich.edu/~jaylemke

On May 3, 2009, at 8:30 AM, Ng Foo Keong wrote:

> In Cantonese there are many devices that are available to modify the
> nuances of meaning.
> For example, you can use particles like '啩' [gua-] and '咩'[me¯
> \ ] to
> express incredulity.
> e.g. "唔係啩?" --> "It's not true, is it?" (Are you sure?)
> e.g. "喂!你赶住投胎咩?!" --> "Hey! Are you in a hurry to get
> reincarnated?!"
> (Why are you rushing and knocking onto me?!)
>
> But you certainly can make utterances with normal relative-intonation
> to express sarcasm.
> e.g. "你好嘢！" --> Lit: "You good thing!" (You got me this time,
> next
> time I'll get you!)
> e.g. "咁好介绍" --> Lit: "such a good recommendation!" (Yeah,
> yeah!
> Thanks, but no thanks.)
>
> Given the plethora of choices, I still don't know if Cantonese
> speakers prefer non-intonational means for expressing irony.
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>

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Received on Sun May 3 08:45:15 2009