Chapter 4 Results
4.2 Hao in different structures of discourse
4.2.4 Hao as a marker in both the exchange structure and the action structure
國
立 政 治 大
㈻㊫學
•
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
*JUN: 我 可以 拼 出來. [% 組合積木]
wo keyi pin chulai [% building up the blocks]
I can compose come out
I can make it.
*JUN: 好 了. ß
hao le okay PRT Okay.
To sum up, in the current data Mandarin-speaking children used hao as a declaration to mark directives, assertives, and completion of physical actions in the action structure when interacting with peers. Moreover, when declaring the completion of a physical action, most of the time Mandarin children combined hao with discourse particle le to further indicate “change of states” (Chu, 1999).
4.2.4 Hao as a marker in both the exchange structure and the action structure
According to previous research, discourse markers are multifunctional (Halliday, 1994; Schiffrin, 1987). They may operate in more than one discourse structure at the same time. In the current data, sometimes hao was used simultaneously in both the exchange and the action structures in Mandarin-speaking children’s peer conversation.
When hao functioned in the two structures at the same time, mostly it was used in the exchange structure as an agreement marker and an acknowledgement marker, while in the action structure as a declaration of assertives or directives. Excerpt 18, 19 and 20 illustrate how Mandarin-speaking children use the multifunction of hao in both the exchange structure and the action structure. In excerpt 18, JUN and CAI were spinning some wheel-like blocks and trying to knock down the other’s block. CAI’s block was broken after the first round. JUN realized it and suggested to CAI that he
• 國
立 政 治 大
㈻㊫學
•
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
needs to buy a new one (change a new wheel). CAI agreed by saying hao and gave his compliance that he is going to change a new block as seen in the last two utterances. In excerpt 19 and 20, hao functions in the exchange structure as an acknowledgement marker, while in the action structure as a declaration of directives or assertives. As seen in excerpt 19, JUN claimed that he is able to break into ZHI’s toy house. ZHI acknowledged it by hao and permitted JUN to break in. Similarly in excerpt 20, NIN also used hao to acknowledge his receipt of CAI’s claim that he has knocked down a tree and further asserted that he is also going to do it as a counter-claim.
Excerpt 18. JUN and CAI are playing with some wheel-like blocks. They spin the blocks and try to knock over the other’s block. CAI’s wheel-like block is broken after the first round.
*JUN: <你要> [/] 你要 去 買 新的 了.
niyao qu mai xinde le
you have go buy new PRT
You have to buy a new one.
*CAI: 好. ß
hao okay Okay.
*CAI: 我 去 換 一 個 新的.
wo qu huan yi ge xinde
I go change one CL new
I go change a new one.
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wants to break in the house.*JUN: 我 可以 闖 進來 喔.
wo keyi chuang jinlai o
I can break into into PRT
I can break into (your house).
*ZHI: 好 你 闖 啊. ß
hao ni chuang a
okay you break into PRT
Okay you (try to) break in.
Excerpt 20. CAI and NIN are playing with their toy cars and using them to knock out some plastic trees.
*CAI: 我 打 倒 這 棵 樹 了.
wo da dao zhe ke shu le
I hit down this CL tree PRT
I have knocked down this tree.
*NIN: 好 我 也 要 打 倒. ß
hao wo ye yao da dao
okay I also want hit down
Okay I’m also going to knock down (one).
The directives and assertives hao declared in the action structure sometimes served as second pair parts to the previous move as seen in the above examples.
Moreover, they could also function as first pair parts to initiate a new conversational move based on the previous speaker’s suggestion. For instance, in excerpt 21, NIN and JUN were trying to hide from the children outside the playroom. They decided to go peeking to see if the children have gone. NIN proposed that JUN goes to the front door and he goes to the back in the first line. JUN agreed by saying hao and then further used a directive jiaohuan ‘change’ to initiate such action based on NIN’s
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proposal. This usage of hao appeared twice in JUN’s turns in the excerpt. In excerpt 22, JUN and ZHI were negotiating about the arrangement of their toy house. JUN suggested that there should be a road for him to go out and drive his car. ZHI was unwilling to make it for JUN at first. After JUN’s explanation, ZHI agreed his suggestion of building the road by hao and further asked JUN to go out of the toy house so that she would have enough space to build the road.
Excerpt 21. NIN and JUN are hiding from the children outside the playroom. They try not to be seen by those children because they do not want the children to come into the playroom.
You observe (the situation) there (and) I observe here.
*JUN: 好 交換. ß
hao jiaohuan
okay change
Okay, (let’s) change.
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Excerpt 22. ZHI is making up a toy house for JUN and herself. JUN asks ZHI to build up a road for him to drive his car.
But it would be very messy inside the house.
*JUN: 這樣 我 才 能 去 開 車 啊.
What’s (wrong) with the car over there?
*JUN: 所以 要 這樣 走 才 能 過去 啊.
Briefly, when Mandarin-speaking children used hao concurrently in the exchange structure and the action structure, they tended to use hao in the exchange structure to agree with the previous speaker’s suggestions or acknowledge their receipts of information, and meanwhile in the action structure to declare directives or assertives.
Moreover, the directives and assertives could serve the functions to just reply previous moves or to further develop those suggestions by initiating new actions.
Mandarin-speaking children used the multifunction of hao in the exchange structure
• 國
立 政 治 大
㈻㊫學
•
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
to demonstrate their supportive attitude towards their peer’s suggestions and in the action structure to further indicate their involvement in the current topic by elaborating such topics using the directives or assertives hao declared.
4.3 Dui in different structures of discourse