The Possibility Of Determining Chinese And Japanese Complex Sentence Type By Conjunction Expressions

This paper first examines how Chinese complex sentences are classified according to conjunctions, as well as several factors making this method possible. It also demonstrates that as a parataxis language, Chinese complex sentences have structures resembling "bamboo" and how such characteristic of language makes clause relations in Chinese complex sentence comparatively equal events. Meanwhile, conjunctions are not commendatory for grammar, but only serve as logical connections for events described by clauses. Therefore, conjunctions become abstracted products, corresponding to logical relations of representing clauses.This paper investigates influence of Chinese language characteristics to complex sentence origination through comparatively analysis of relations between Chinese complex sentences and conjunctions and relations between Japanese complex sentences and conjunctions, meanwhile, by comparing Japanese language type and characteristics with Chinese, demonstrates how the similarities and differences between the two languages affect Japanese complex sentence classification After drawing the factors that affect Chinese complex sentence classification, this paper comparatively discuss the specific features of Japanese complex sentences. This is the first half of the thesis, which is also a theoretic preparation for the second half on"The Possibility of Determining Chinese and Japanese Complex Sentence Type by Conjunction Expressions"The second half of this paper is mainly about two kinds of relations of clauses in Japanese complex sentences. One resembles "bamboo" structure in Chinese; the other resembles "tree" structure in English. Following that, these two conditions are discussed in details, deciding what types of complex sentences can or can’t be determined from conjunctions. In this thesis, multiple tables, cases and directions are employed to make sure of clear thinking and supporting demonstrating.Study of complex sentence is a hotspot in weather Chinese or Japanese researches. In Chinese-Japanese comparative studies, complex sentences are also drawing a lot of attentions these years. However, most researches are focused on specific sentence types. Comparative studies on classification are relatively weak. So far. the few studies on Chinese-Japanese complex sentence classification are from the angle which classifies Chinese complex sentences by conjunctions. Starting from Chinese conjunctions, these researches tried to establish a classification system in Japanese similar to Chinese complex sentences. However, whether Japanese can be completely classified by conjunctions-like Chinese-is not fully conclusive yet. This thesis serves to complement the theory defect at a certain level, which is one of the main contributions and creative points of this study.On the other hand, when discussing the two classification systems, this study is not restricted to table lists, but devotes much effort analyzing and demonstrating language characteristics influencing the two systems. It means, this study not only clarifies how Japanese language is classified by conjunctions, but also attentively discusses differences in classes and ways of thinking revealed by complex sentence classification. This has never been occurred to the author in comparative studies of Chinese-Japanese complex sentences, which is another creative point of this thesis.