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Resolving Homophonous Ambiguity in Mandarin Adverbs: Contextual Constraints and Bidirectional Optimization

類別:期刊論文

學年 / 學期:114-1

出版日期:2025-10-01 00:00:00

著者:Yu-Ching Tseng

著錄名稱、卷期、頁數:Lingua 325, 104007

摘要:This study examines homophonous ambiguity in Mandarin adverbs, particularly their ability to function as speaker-oriented, subject-oriented, and manner modifiers. The ambiguity arises when an adverb can be interpreted in multiple ways within the same sentence. In neutral contexts, these interpretations can coexist without contradiction; however, when contextual information highlights conflicts between them, sentences often become semantically incoherent. By analyzing sentence acceptability ratings and interpretation consistency provided by native Mandarin speakers, the data reveal that conflicting contextual cues lead to interpretive conflict and reduced comprehensibility. The study applies Bidirectional Optimality Theory (BiOT) to model how syntactic and semantic constraints interact to produce and interpret ambiguous adverbial structures. BiOT explains how conflicting interpretations compete and how listeners resolve ambiguity by filtering out incoherent readings. The findings suggest that Mandarin speakers rely on lexico-pragmatic association, contextual expansion, and pragmatic inference to navigate ambiguity, and that speaker-oriented adverbs play a crucial role in structuring discourse. This study contributes to linguistic theory by offering a formalized approach to Mandarin adverbial modification and ambiguity resolution, highlighting the role of context and discourse in meaning selection.

語言:en

ISSN:1872-6135; 0024-3841

期刊性質:國外

收錄於:A&HCI

審稿制度:

國別:NLD

出版型式:電子版,紙本