A Reference Grammar of Mandarin Chinese for English Speakers - American University Studies.

This reference grammar provides a description of Mandarin Chinese in familiar terms and enables the English-speaking reader to transfer his/her knowledge of English to the study of Chinese. Many of the unique features of the language are treated through a comparison with semantically corresponding, though syntactically different, features in English. Aside from the conventional types of sentences, special constructions are amply explained and illustrated for the reader. Understanding the specific meaning of each of these constructions is one of the central themes of the grammar. This book contains a number of original analyses, such as that of the shi---de construction and the notion of continuum for the indiscrete nature of linguistic structure, which should serve as a valuable reference source for both the language teacher and the profession of Chinese linguistics.