A Study On Chinese Topic By Contrasting With Korean

The thesis made a study on whether main topic and subtopic, the noun and the verb uses as topic in existence or not, and the pattern of main topic and subtopic, the noun and the verb uses as topic. We main discussed five problems: the character of topic, how to distinguish topic from subject, the existence of subtopic and the verb uses as topic, how to judge which situation is the verb uses as topic , the types of the verb use as topics.Based on looking back former study of modern Chinese language, the thesis put forward our own viewpoint: topic is syntactic function nature, it is come into being in the base part of grammar, usually it is old news; in principle , topic can project on all kinds of sentence element. And can project more than one time, thereby main topic,subtopic,sub-subtopic take shape, but the nature of topic decides that the natural site is subject or before subject; the elements which play the role of topic mainly is noun and noun phrase, certainly it also can be verb and verbal phrase, and other elements which can serve as the narrative target, or supply the sentence with narrative frame or scope, independent elements such as parenthesis,apostrophe and answer phrase,exclamatory phrase,onomatopoeia, which look like topic very much for they usually putted on the forepart of one sentence, but the can not supply sentence with narrative frame or scope, so the are not topic; the topic which play the role of pragmatics function generally can extends the function outside of simple sentence, and forms topic chain which play part in paragraph or section and chapter.During the process of discussion, we classified the topic as main topic and subtopic, the noun use as topic and the verb uses as topic, we find a series of principles. If the argument of core verb doesn't appear before the verb, the phrase in forepart which denotes time must be topic; if the phrase in forepart which denotes time serves as argument of core verb, and other argument of core verb doesn't appear in forepart, the phrase either serves as topic or subject, it depends on the situation. If the subject appears before verb, the phrase in forepart which denotes location and orientation must be topic; if the argument of core verb doesn't appear in subject position, the phrase which denotes location and orientation in this position must be topic. The pronoun usually is serves as argument, so generally it uses as subject, only when it is really is known news or used for stress and emphasis, it serves as topic.By contrasting with Korean language, we find out that in modern Chinese language the verb which serves as topic has lost some character of verb, at the same time it possesses some nature of noun, but it still keeps the nature of verb. The noun can be used as topic, the verb can also be used as topic, the function and affection of them is same, there are no element serves as mark, so we must be carefully keep to the definition and function when we judge whether the instance is verb serves as topic or not. In modern Chinese language, the verb can serve as topic without any mark(it coincides with subject); it also can serve as marked topic(the location outside subject location), forms main topic,subtopic and sub-subtopic. when we discuss main topic,subtopic and sub-subtopic, according to the actual situation we sorted out the typical sentence stress from common situation, and carried out different and detailed discussion.Considering of Chinese is isolated language, it depends on the sequence and action to judge its status and action, it is difficult to find out some marks to check our conclusion. So when we discuss the character of topic and how to judge topic, if the verb serves as topic or not and the character of the topic verb, we contrasted it with Korean which is adherent language and has distinct topic mark. We hope to get some definite and subjective conclusion by contrasting with Korean.