The Literature Books Mandarin (mandarin Grammar) Research

In16th century, descriptive grammar books focused on the Chinese grammar have emerged in China with the coming of the European Catholic missionaries. In this way developed the western schools of studying Chinese grammar. Mandarin Grammar, written by T. P. Crawford and Zhang Ruzhen, was published during that time in1869and was the first western Chinese grammar book entirely written in Chinese. Mandarin Grammar, including both Chinese and foreign linguistic theories, used different grammatical research paradigms, which inflected a variety of modern linguistics concepts and connotations. Therefore, this dissertation, which has important academic significance and application values, could fill the blank in this area of research, and enlighten the future study of modern Chinese grammar as well.This dissertation in a view of the history of Chinese linguistics first analysed the background of the developing process of the western research of Chinese grammar during17th and19th century, then rearranged main arguments of Mandarin Grammar, and finally drew a relatively objective evaluation by comparative studies. The main steps as follows:Firstly, discussed the research purposes, methods and contents of different western schools of studying Chinese grammar during17th and19th century. More details on the experiences of the authors and the historical background, main contents, terms used, views of Chinese and methodology employed by Mandarin Grammar were introduced and analysed based on the study mentioned above.Secondly, analysed the research concentrations of Mandarin Grammar which included word class, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, phonetics and Chinese characters. Several research systems were established based on this linguistics monograph, which were systems of word class, sentence patterns and analysis methods, semantic case, a taxonomy for functional sentence, oral rhetoric, phonetic symbols and Chinese character structures.Thirdly, compared the relevant research results of different western schools of studying Chinese grammar and Ma Shi Wen Tong respectively, for the purpose of making pro and con evaluations of Mandarin Grammar. The selected literatures written by western missionaries are:Arte de la Lengua Mandarina by F. Varo (1682), Notitia Lingae Sinicae by J. H. de Premare (1728), A Grammar of the Chinese Colloquial Language, Commonly Called Mandarin Dialect by J. Edkins (1864) and Yu-yen tzu-erh chi, A progressive Course Designed to Assist the Student of Colloquial Chinese by T. F. Wade (1867).The main conclusions as follows:Firstly, by word study, Mandarin Grammar divided Chinese word class into fifteen categories according to the meaning standards and the grammatical functions. Secondly, by syntax study, it extracted the hierarchical structure of syntax units as word-word group-sentence (simple sentence, compound sentence and sentence group). Thirdly, by semantic study, the conceptions and theories of semantic case have come into being. Fourthly, by pragmatics study, it categorized the Chinese sentence according to the function standard. Besides, it also focused on oral rhetoric in discourse. Fifthly, by phonetics study, it categorized the Chinese syllables based on the place of articulation and manner of articulation, and then Crawford spelled Chinese by using his own symbols. Sixthly, by Chinese characters study, it proposed the original view of "Character-based" methodology. In addition, it also established the structural system of Chinese characters as stroke-indexing components or radicals in Chinese characters-Chinese character.