Difference between revisions of "French and Chinese/Contrastive Grammar"

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===Case marking===
===Case marking===


French displays a case distinction for personal pronouns.
French displays a case distinction for personal pronouns. Note below the alteration between ''je'' 'I,' ''me'' 'me,' and ''moi'' 'me (stressed tonic).'

* {{test|fr|Je le vois.|I see him.}}
* {{test|fr|Il me voit.|He sees me.}}
* {{test|fr|Il va avec moi.|He goes with me.}}

Note the alteration between ''je'' 'I,' ''me'' 'me,' and ''moi'' 'me (stressed tonic).'


Standard Chinese does not display a case distinction; meaning is conveyed through word order. Note that some varieties of Chinese do mark case on pronouns.
Standard Chinese does not display a case distinction; meaning is conveyed through word order. Note that some varieties of Chinese do mark case on pronouns.


* {{test|zh|我在看他。|I see him.}}
* {{test|fr|Je le vois.|我在看他。|I see him.}}
* {{test|zh|他在看我。|He sees me.}}
* {{test|fr|Il me voit.|他在看我。|He sees me.}}
* {{test|zh|他跟我去。|He goes with me.}}
* {{test|fr|Il va avec moi.|他跟我去。|He goes with me.}}


Case tags would need to be removed using appropriate transfer rules.
Case tags would need to be removed using appropriate transfer rules.
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===2nd-person pronouns===
===2nd-person pronouns===


French displays two 2nd-person pronouns:
French displays two 2nd-person pronouns, while Chinese displays four 2nd-person pronouns.


* tu (singular informal)
* {{test|fr|tu|你|you (singular informal)}}
* vous (singular formal, plural informal and formal)
* {{test|fr|vous|你|you (plural informal/formal and singular formal)}}


* {{test|zh||vous|you (singular informal)}}
Chinese displays four 2nd-person pronouns:
* {{test|zh|你們|vous|you (plural informal)}}
* {{test|zh||vous|you (singular formal)}}
* {{test|zh|您們|vous|you (plural formal)}}


When transferring from French to Chinese, both ''tu'' and ''vous'' would most likely need to be translated to 你, due to ambiguity. Chinese to French would most likely translate to "vous," since "tu" is unacceptable in certain situations where 你 would be.
* 你 (singular informal)
* 您 (singular formal)
* 你們 (plural informal)
* 您們 (plural formal)

When transferring from French to Chinese, both ''tu'' and ''vous'' would most likely need to be translated to 你, due to ambiguity. Chinese to French would be an unambiguous transfer.


Appropriate directional notations would need to be added to the bidix to reflect this.
Appropriate directional notations would need to be added to the bidix to reflect this.
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French possessives are marked through the preposition de. The possessed noun is the head word, while the possessor comes after the preposition.
French possessives are marked through the preposition de. The possessed noun is the head word, while the possessor comes after the preposition.

* {{test|fr|le chien de la fille|the girl's dog (literally: the dog of the girl)}}
* {{test|fr|les hommes de ce pays|the men of my country}}
* {{test|fr|le nez du chat|the cat's nose}}


Chinese possessives are marked through the particle 的, also coincidentally pronounced ''de''.
Chinese possessives are marked through the particle 的, also coincidentally pronounced ''de''.
In a reversal of the French word order, the possessor is the head word, while the possessed noun comes after the preposition.
In a reversal of the French word order, the possessor is the head word, while the possessed noun comes after the preposition.


* {{test|zh|女孩的狗|[the] girl's dog (literally: girl ''de'' dog)}}
* {{test|fr|le chien de la fille|女孩的狗|the girl's dog (literally: the dog of the girl)}}
* {{test|zh|這個國家的人|[the] men of this country}}
* {{test|fr|les hommes de ce pays|這個國家的人|the men of this country}}
* {{test|zh|貓的鼻子|[the] nose of [the] cat}}
* {{test|fr|le nez du chat|貓的鼻子|the cat's nose}}


This difference in word order would need to be dealt with in transfer rules.
This difference in word order would need to be dealt with in transfer rules.
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French verbs display conjugations for person. However, person is not implicit; unlike most Romance languages, the subject is never dropped.
French verbs display conjugations for person. However, person is not implicit; unlike most Romance languages, the subject is never dropped.


Chinese verbs do not display conjugations for person. Person is indicated by the subject only, which may be dropped.
* {{test|fr|Je pense.|I think.}}
* {{test|fr|Nous pensons.|We think.}}
* {{test|fr|Tu penses.|You (singular informal) think.}}


* {{test|fr|Je pense.|我想。|I think.}}
Chinese verbs do not display conjugations for person.
* {{test|fr|Nous pensons.|我們想。|We think.}}

* {{test|zh|想。|I think.}}
* {{test|fr|Tu penses.|你想。|You (singular informal) think.}}
* {{test|zh|我們想。|We think.}}
* {{test|fr|Je ne sais pas.|不知道。|I don't know. (literally: don't know)}}
* {{test|zh|你想。| You (singular) think.}}

Person is indicated by the subject only, which may be dropped.

* {{test|zh|不知道。|I don't know. (literally: don't know)}}


A hypothetical French-Chinese pair would most likely not deal with subject-dropping, as it is not mandatory and occurs in limited and difficult-to-predict situations.
A hypothetical French-Chinese pair would most likely not deal with subject-dropping, as it is not mandatory and occurs in limited and difficult-to-predict situations.
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French verbs mark tense through verb conjugation. Tense is obligatorily marked.
French verbs mark tense through verb conjugation. Tense is obligatorily marked.

* {{test|fr|Je pense.|I think.}}
* {{test|fr|Je pensai.|I thought.}}
* {{test|fr|Je penserai.|I will think.}}

Chinese verbs are marked by verb-prefixing or verb-suffixing particles. These particles are optional; tense is sometimes not marked.
Chinese verbs are marked by verb-prefixing or verb-suffixing particles. These particles are optional; tense is sometimes not marked.


* {{test|zh|我想| I think (without tense)}}
* {{test|fr|Je pense.|我想|I think.}}
* {{test|zh|我| I am thinking.}}
* {{test|fr|Je pensai.|我想|I thought.}}
* {{test|zh|我想了。| I have thought.}}
* {{test|fr|Je penserai.|我想|I will think.}}
* {{test|zh|我會想。| I will think.}}


There would be two possible methods to deal with this:
There would be two possible methods to deal with this:


* include tense particles in the morphological analysis of a single verb (i.e. 想 generates 會想 as an inflected form
* include tense particles in the morphological analysis of a single verb (e.g. 想 generates 會想 as an inflected form)
* treat tense particles as separate lemmas and deal with inflection in transfer rules.
* treat tense particles as separate lemmas and deal with inflection in transfer rules.


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French displays three paradigms for *wh*-questions:
French displays three paradigms for *wh*-questions. All of these translate to the same structure in Chinese.


1. (formal|fronting of the interrogative pronoun and an inversion of the subject-verb order:
1. (formal|fronting of the interrogative pronoun and an inversion of the subject-verb order:


* {{test|fr|Que voulez-vous?|What do you want? (formal)}}
* {{test|fr|Que voulez-vous?|你要什麼?|What do you want? (formal)}}


2. (informal|fronting of the interrogative pronoun, followed by the particle est-ce que:
2. (informal|fronting of the interrogative pronoun, followed by the particle est-ce que:


* {{test|fr|Qu'est-ce que vous voulez?|What do you want? (informal)}}
* {{test|fr|Qu'est-ce que vous voulez?|你要什麼?|What do you want? (informal)}}


3. (very informal|standard SVO sentence order, with the interrogative pronoun substituted in the normal position.
3. (very informal|standard SVO sentence order, with the interrogative pronoun substituted in the normal position.


* {{test|fr|Vous voulez quoi?|What do you want? (very informal)}}
* {{test|fr|Vous voulez quoi?|你要什麼?|What do you want? (very informal)}}


Translating the several interrogative structures of French into Chinese would most likely require the use of transfer rules (with chunking). As for the reverse (Chinese to French), it would most likely be appropriate to generate structure #1, as it is correct (if perhaps not appropriate) in almost all contexts.
Chinese has only one paradigm for wh-questions, matching in structure the last, very informal paradigm of French. The interrogative pronoun is not fronted.

* {{test|zh|你要什麼?|What do you want?}}

Translating the several interrogative structures of French into Chinese would most likely require transfer rules. As for the reverse (Chinese to French), it would most likely be appropriate to generate structure #1, as it is correct (if perhaps not appropriate) in almost all contexts.


===Yes/no questions===
===Yes/no questions===


French displays two paradigms for yes/no questions: (formal) inversion of the subject-verb order and (informal) use of the sentence-initial particle ''est-ce que.'' Chinese displays two paradigms for yes/no questions: the sentence-final particle 嗎 ''ma'' and the so-called A-not-A construction.
French displays two paradigms for yes/no questions:

1. (formal) inversion of the subject-verb order:

* {{test|fr|Êtes-vous prêt?|Are you ready? (formal) }}

2. (informal) use of the sentence-initial particle ''est-ce que'':

* {{test|fr|Est-ce que vous êtes prêt?|Are you ready? (informal)}}

Chinese displays several paradigms for yes/no questions, including the following main ones:


* {{test|fr|Êtes-vous prêt?|你準備好了嗎?|Are you ready? (formal) }}
1. the sentence-final particle 嗎 ''ma'':
* {{test|fr|Est-ce que vous êtes prêt?|你準備好了嗎?|Are you ready? (formal) }}
* {{test|zh|你準備好了嗎?|Êtes-vous prêt?|Are you ready?}}
* {{test|zh|西瓜甜不甜?|La pastèque est-elle douce?|Is the watermelon sweet?}}


Again, the structures of both French and Chinese may be dealt with through transfer rules. The safest method would most likely be:
* {{test|zh|你準備好了嗎?|Are you ready?}}


* from French to Chinese, always generate the 嗎 structure.
2. the so-called A-not-A construction, only usable with certain verbs:


* from Chinese to French, always generate inversion.
* {{test|zh|西瓜甜不甜?|Is the watermelon sweet? (literally: Watermelon sweet-not-sweet?)}}


Both of these structures are appropriate in all situations.
Again, the structures of both French and Chinese may be dealt with through transfer rules.

Revision as of 00:32, 16 December 2016

French and Standard Chinese are far-removed linguistically. This page gives a brief background on some important grammatical differences.

Pronouns

Case marking

French displays a case distinction for personal pronouns. Note below the alteration between je 'I,' me 'me,' and moi 'me (stressed tonic).'

Standard Chinese does not display a case distinction; meaning is conveyed through word order. Note that some varieties of Chinese do mark case on pronouns.

  • (fr) Je le vois. → 我在看他。 :: I see him.
  • (fr) Il me voit. → 他在看我。 :: He sees me.
  • (fr) Il va avec moi. → 他跟我去。 :: He goes with me.

Case tags would need to be removed using appropriate transfer rules.

2nd-person pronouns

French displays two 2nd-person pronouns, while Chinese displays four 2nd-person pronouns.

  • (fr) tu → 你 :: you (singular informal)
  • (fr) vous → 你 :: you (plural informal/formal and singular formal)
  • (zh) → vous :: you (singular informal)
  • (zh) 你們 → vous :: you (plural informal)
  • (zh) → vous :: you (singular formal)
  • (zh) 您們 → vous :: you (plural formal)

When transferring from French to Chinese, both tu and vous would most likely need to be translated to 你, due to ambiguity. Chinese to French would most likely translate to "vous," since "tu" is unacceptable in certain situations where 你 would be.

Appropriate directional notations would need to be added to the bidix to reflect this.

Possessives

French possessives are marked through the preposition de. The possessed noun is the head word, while the possessor comes after the preposition.

Chinese possessives are marked through the particle 的, also coincidentally pronounced de. In a reversal of the French word order, the possessor is the head word, while the possessed noun comes after the preposition.

  • (fr) le chien de la fille → 女孩的狗 :: the girl's dog (literally: the dog of the girl)
  • (fr) les hommes de ce pays → 這個國家的人 :: the men of this country
  • (fr) le nez du chat → 貓的鼻子 :: the cat's nose

This difference in word order would need to be dealt with in transfer rules.

Verbs

Person

French verbs display conjugations for person. However, person is not implicit; unlike most Romance languages, the subject is never dropped.

Chinese verbs do not display conjugations for person. Person is indicated by the subject only, which may be dropped.

  • (fr) Je pense. → 我想。 :: I think.
  • (fr) Nous pensons. → 我們想。 :: We think.
  • (fr) Tu penses. → 你想。 :: You (singular informal) think.
  • (fr) Je ne sais pas. → 不知道。 :: I don't know. (literally: don't know)

A hypothetical French-Chinese pair would most likely not deal with subject-dropping, as it is not mandatory and occurs in limited and difficult-to-predict situations.

Tense

French verbs mark tense through verb conjugation. Tense is obligatorily marked. Chinese verbs are marked by verb-prefixing or verb-suffixing particles. These particles are optional; tense is sometimes not marked.

  • (fr) Je pense. → 我想 :: I think.
  • (fr) Je pensai. → 我想了 :: I thought.
  • (fr) Je penserai. → 我會想 :: I will think.

There would be two possible methods to deal with this:

  • include tense particles in the morphological analysis of a single verb (e.g. 想 generates 會想 as an inflected form)
  • treat tense particles as separate lemmas and deal with inflection in transfer rules.

The latter approach seems more promising.

Interrogatives

Wh-questions

French displays three paradigms for *wh*-questions. All of these translate to the same structure in Chinese.

1. (formal|fronting of the interrogative pronoun and an inversion of the subject-verb order:

  • (fr) Que voulez-vous? → 你要什麼? :: What do you want? (formal)

2. (informal|fronting of the interrogative pronoun, followed by the particle est-ce que:

  • (fr) Qu'est-ce que vous voulez? → 你要什麼? :: What do you want? (informal)

3. (very informal|standard SVO sentence order, with the interrogative pronoun substituted in the normal position.

  • (fr) Vous voulez quoi? → 你要什麼? :: What do you want? (very informal)

Translating the several interrogative structures of French into Chinese would most likely require the use of transfer rules (with chunking). As for the reverse (Chinese to French), it would most likely be appropriate to generate structure #1, as it is correct (if perhaps not appropriate) in almost all contexts.

Yes/no questions

French displays two paradigms for yes/no questions: (formal) inversion of the subject-verb order and (informal) use of the sentence-initial particle est-ce que. Chinese displays two paradigms for yes/no questions: the sentence-final particle 嗎 ma and the so-called A-not-A construction.

  • (fr) Êtes-vous prêt? → 你準備好了嗎? :: Are you ready? (formal)
  • (fr) Est-ce que vous êtes prêt? → 你準備好了嗎? :: Are you ready? (formal)
  • (zh) 你準備好了嗎? → Êtes-vous prêt? :: Are you ready?
  • (zh) 西瓜甜不甜? → La pastèque est-elle douce? :: Is the watermelon sweet?

Again, the structures of both French and Chinese may be dealt with through transfer rules. The safest method would most likely be:

  • from French to Chinese, always generate the 嗎 structure.
  • from Chinese to French, always generate inversion.

Both of these structures are appropriate in all situations.