Habitual constructions in Mandarin

Typological studies in language 2026 Book chapter

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Authors: Hongmei Fang
DOI: 10.1075/tsl.136.07fan
Cited by: 0
References: 9

Abstract

Abstract In Mandarin, habitual aspect is usually thought to be expressed by lexical means. This chapter challenges that view by examining two habitual auxiliaries in Mandarin, namely guànyú ‘habitually/in the habit of’ and ài ‘do something often/love to’, within the framework of Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG). The analysis of the data shows that both guànyú and ài express multiple subtypes of habitual meaning. Guànyú conveys three subtypes, corresponding to three adjacent layers within FDG: the Episode, the State-of-Affairs, and the Situational Property. Ài expresses two subtypes, associated with the State-of-Affairs and the Situational Property layers.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Syntax Semantics Linguistic Variation Language Discourse Communication Strategies Categorization perception and language

Publication details

Journal / source
Typological studies in language
Pages
202–228
Publication date
6 January 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Book chapter