Grammatical Differences in Taiwanese Mandarin
I recently came across this video from a Taiwanese Youtuber who teaches Mandarin. She points out some differences in grammar between colloquial Mandarin as used in Taiwan compared to the standard Putonghua used in Mainland China. There are many videos about differences in pronunciation (lèsè vs lājī for 垃圾 “rubbish” being a well-known example) and vocabulary (e.g. tǔdòu 土豆 vs. mǎlíngshǔ 马铃薯 “potato”), but fewer about grammar.
Many of the grammatical features she describes are actually characteristic of Southern Min dialects, and we see the same features in Teochew. In Taiwan, Hokkien (a.k.a. Taiwanese, Taiwanese Southern Min) is widely spoken (although its use is declining), and is the first language for most Taiwan-born Chinese born in the 20th century, so it is no surprise that Taiwanese Mandarin has been heavily influenced by Taiwanese Hokkien. Teochew and Hokkien both belong to the Southern Min (Minnan) language family, so their grammar is very similar. We can therefore observe some commonalities in Southern Min languages that also distinguish them from Mandarin.
Here are illustrations of the grammatical structures mentioned in the video, and how they reflect similar grammar in Southern Min, using Teochew as an example. If you can help with the Hokkien, do leave a comment!
1. Use of 有 and 沒有
Example 1 (MM - Mainland Mandarin, TM - Taiwanese Mandarin, T – Teochew):
(MM) 我 听说 了。
(TM) 我 有 聽說。
(T) ua2 u6 tian1diêh4
(T) 我 有 聽着。
Example 2:
(MM) 我 去过 那个 地方。
(TM) 我 有 去過 那個 地方。
(T) ua2 u6 ke3guê3 he2gai5 di7hng1.
(T) 我 有 去過 許個 地方。
In Teochew and Hokkien, u6 有 is used as a so-called affirmative aspect marker in front of a verb, to emphasize that a verb has occurred or been completed. In Mandarin, the particle lè 了, which comes after the verb, is used for a similar function.
2. Ending a question sentence with 沒
(MM) 你 到了 吗？
(TM) 你 到了 沒？
(T) le2 gao3liao2 bhuê7?
(T) 汝 到了 未？
In Southern Min languages, yes-no questions can be formed by adding a negative at the end of the sentence as a question marker. In Mandarin, the question marker mā 嗎 is used, but mā cannot be used as a negative in front of a verb.
3. Use of 不錯 before a verb to mean “good”
As far as I know, this is not a pattern used in Teochew, but if you know otherwise please comment below! However the double negative 袂孬 bhoi6mo2 is reminiscent of the double negative búcuò 不错.
4. Increase in use of 會 and 不會
(MM) 这 饼干 不甜。
(TM) 這 餅乾 不會 甜。
(T) zi3go3 bian2 bhoi6 diam5
(T) 只塊 餅 袂 甜。
In standard Mandarin, bù 不 is used to negate all types of adjectives. Southern Min languages have a different and more diverse set of negative markers. In Teochew, bhoi6 袂 is used to negate gradable adjectives, whereas ungradable adjectives are usually negated with m6 唔.
5. Use of 給
(MM) 不要 让 别人 知道。
(TM) 不要 給 別人 知道。
(T) mai3 kêg8/koih8 bag8nang5 zai1.
(T) 莫 乞 別人 知。
In the Taiwanese Mandarin example, gěi 給, which usually means “give”, is being used to mean “let”, like kêg8/koih8 乞 in Teochew, or hō͘ 予 in Hokkien/Taiwanese, which can mean both “let” and “give”.
In Southern Min, the same word is used for “let” and “give” and to mark the passive voice, whereas in mainland Mandarin, the word for “give” gěi 給 is distinct from “let” ràng 讓. Mandarin ràng means “let” and functions as a passive marker, and also means “give” in a more specialized sense of “permit” or “yield” (e.g. Kǒng Róng ràng lí 孔融讓梨), vs. general purpose gěi. Mandarin also has bèi 被 as a passive marker.
Posted on 2020-12-14 16:00:00 +0000