On structural particles in Sinitic languages: typology and diachrony

In the Chinese linguistic tradition, the term ‘structural particle(s)’ (jiégòu zhùcí 结构助词) is used to refer to functional elements which mainly act as markers of adnominal modification, nominalisation, adverbial modification and in the so-called verb complement constructions. In Standard Mandarin, the three commonly used structural particles are all realised as /tə/, but they are written with different characters (的, 地 and 得), which somehow reflect their distinct origins. However, the same functions are mapped onto different markers in other Sinitic languages, and each of the functions listed above may be associated to more than one construction. In this paper, we provide an overview of the range of variation in the domain of structural particles in Sinitic, based on the analysis of a convenience sample of 77 Chinese dialects. We highlight some areal and genealogical trends in the distribution of these forms, and we discuss some hypotheses on their origins and on their evolution: specifically, we focus on the markers of adnominal and adverbial modification. We argue that markers of adnominal and adverbial modification may sometimes arise from different sources and undergo formal merger, due to structural analogy and/or to phonetic similarity

The areal typology of grammaticalization: the case of northern China

Chinese/Sinitic is often seen as a textbook example of isolating typology, with little or no inflection, stable morpheme boundaries, no cumulative exponence, and no allomorphy or suppletion. From the diachronic point of view, the isolating nature of Chinese, as well as other typological features (e.g. lack of obligatory categories), are said to be associated with grammaticalization without formal evolution (see e.g. Bybee, Perkins and Pagliuca 1994; Bisang 2004). In this paper, we will discuss the typology of Sinitic in its genetic and areal context. We will then focus on how grammaticalization works in languages of the East and Mainland Southeastasian area (EMSEA), and we shall discuss possible exceptions to this general trend in some Northern Sinitic languages. We will show that the typological features traditionally attributed to EMSEA languages do seem to prevent the establishment of morphological paradigms, but secondary grammaticalization (in the sense of Traugott 2002) may still occur, as a morphophonological phenomenon connected with frequency of cooccurrence and with specific prosodic patterns. We shall also discuss the implication of this for the typology of Sinitic, and for grammar-based cross-linguistic research

Macanese negation in comparative perspective: typology and ecology

Macanese, the near-extinct Portuguese creole of Macao, is an Asian Portuguese Creole language closely related to Malaccan Papia Kristang. In this paper, I argue that a distinctive feature of Macanese vis-à-vis other Asian Portuguese Creoles is its system of negation; specifically, its usage of the negators nunca and nádi. Negators deriving from Portuguese nunca ‘never’ and não há-de ‘shall not’ are attested in several Asian Portuguese Creoles: while their usage varies considerably, the former usually acts as the negator for realis predicates, whereas the latter typically negates irrealis predicates. In this paper I argue that, differently from other Asian Portuguese Creoles, Macanese nunca is also the only available negator for adjectival and nominal predicates, independently from TAM features. Through a comparison with other Asian Portuguese creoles, and with the adstrates and substrates of Macanese, I also discuss the possible origin of these features

X-ray absorption towards high-redshift sources: probing the intergalactic medium with blazars

The role played by the intergalactic medium (IGM) in the X-ray absorption towards high-redshift sources has recently drawn more attention in spectral analysis studies. Here, we study the X-ray absorption towards 15 flat-spectrum radio quasars at $z>2$, relying on high counting statistic ($\gtrsim10\,000$ photons) provided by XMM-Newton, with additional NuSTAR (and simultaneous Swift-XRT) observations when available. Blazars can be confidently considered to have negligible X-ray absorption along the line of sight within the host galaxy, likely swept by the kpc-scale relativistic jet. This makes our sources ideal for testing the absorption component along the IGM. Our new approach is to revisit the origin of the soft X-ray spectral hardening observed in high-z blazars in terms of X-ray absorption occurring along the IGM, with the help of a low-z sample used as comparison. We verify that the presence of absorption in excess of the Galactic value is the preferred explanation to explain the observed hardening, while intrinsic energy breaks, predicted by blazars' emission models, can easily occur out of the observing energy band in most sources. First, we perform an indirect analysis comparing the inferred amount of absorption in excess of the Galactic value with a simulated IGM absorption contribution, that increases with redshift and includes both a minimum component from diffuse IGM metals, and the additional contribution of discrete denser intervening regions. Then, we directly investigate the warm-hot IGM with a spectral model on the best candidates of our sample, obtaining an average IGM density of $n_0=1.01^{+0.53}_{-0.72}\times10^{-7}$ cm$^{-3}$ and temperature of $\log(T/\text{K})=6.45^{+0.51}_{-2.12}$. A more dedicated study is currently beyond reach, but our results can be used as a stepping stone for future more accurate analysis, involving Athena.Comment: 32 pages, 7 figures. Accepted, to be published in A&

Confucian Values and Their Implications for the Tourism Industry

The significance of understanding different cultures is well evidenced by a series of recent reports and as Australia situates itself more authentically in the Asian Pacific region of the world, and educational, business and political ties are strengthened with Asia, it is imperative that the aspiring business person and in particular, tourism professionals broaden their understanding of Asian cultures. This paper recognises Confucianism as a key philosophical underpinning to many Asian societies. Bearing in mind that approximately one quarter of the world's population has a Confucian heritage, that the Chinese diaspora around the world is notable, that a variety of scholars have predicted a revival in Confucian thought and that there are significant numbers of Confucian travellers, the clear conclusion that one is drawn to is that it may be useful, if not indeed necessary, to recognise the key elements of the Confucian value system when developing, marketing and managing tourism experiences. This paper outlines the key tenets of Confucianism that underpin human relations and interactions. It then discusses the implications of Confucian values to tourism management and marketing in three specific areas: individualism, protocol, and business and social ethics

Towards a typology of coordinating compounds in Turkish

https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/flin.2018.52.issue-2/flin-2018-0008/flin-2018-0008.xml?format=IN

Linking Learning Style Preferences and Ethnicity: International Students Studying Hospitality and Tourism Management in Australia

International student enrolment at Australian higher education institutions has grown significantly over the past decade. Traditionally, many international students that study for an Australian qualification originate from Asia and a majority of these students are of Confucian culture heritage. While there is a growing body of literature that explores learning issues of Asian students involved in Australian higher education, there are examples in the literature that promote stereotypical views of the strengths and weaknesses of international students. This paper examines the individual and collective preferred learning style of a sample of Confucian heritage culture university students, analyses links between ethnic origins and preferred learning style and suggests that preferred learning styles should be taken into consideration when developing curriculum which is accessed by international students