J4 ›› 2012, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (5): 39-42.

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Research of the Measure Word "Wei" and Related Issues

The paper, analyzing from cognitive and cultural perspectives, suggests that the measure word "wei" is used as a polite speech behaviour and it has close relationship to the fact of "providing seats" to the hearer. But in the sentence "nin ji wei?", "wei" is a noun rather than a measure word, while the measure word "ge" is omitted and "wei" is used to imply person with its metonymic sense.   

  1. Department of Animation, Wuyi University, Wuyishan, Fujian 354300, China
  • Received:2012-02-23 Revised:2012-03-12 Online:2012-05-15 Published:2012-05-15

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Abstract:

The paper, analyzing from cognitive and cultural perspectives, suggests that the measure word "wei" is used as a polite speech behaviour and it has close relationship to the fact of "providing seats" to the hearer. But in the sentence "nin ji wei?", "wei" is a noun rather than a measure word, while the measure word "ge" is omitted and "wei" is used to imply person with its metonymic sense.

Key words: "wei", measure word, noun, ellipsis

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