The implicit negation and Counter-Expectation of bai in mandarin Chinese

Abstract

This paper studies the adverb bai in Mandarin Chinese, focusing on its implicit negation and counter-expectation from synchronic and diachronic perspectives. Firstly, bai indicates implicit negation which is able to entail an explicit negative sentence. Secondly, while studying the origin of bai, we are trying to trace its semantic evolution. Finally, an attempt is made to analyze counter-expectation, the pragmatic function which is caused by bai’s implicit negation and then triggers the deviation of speaker’s expectation, and therefore to explore bai’s semantic construal.