A Unified Account of the Discourse Function of the Chinese Particle "ne"

This paper presents a unified account of the discourse function of the Chinese particle ne based on synchronic and diachronic studies of the function of the particle in statements, in questions and as a theme marker under an interactional and cognitive framework for discourse markers. It proposes that the particle ne has a general function of hearer engagement for Common Ground (CG) negotiation. The use of ne in discourse serves as an instruction for the hearer to pay special attention to a discrepancy in the perceived CG shared by the speaker and hearer in a conversation that the speaker thinks is highly relevant to the current interaction and needs to be negotiated and resolved. And it is the interplay between this core function of ne and the propositional content of the host utterance in a specific context that generates the various interpretations in the literature associated with the use of ne. This core function of the particle ne is rooted in the two core properties of existence marking and discourse-continuation marking, which pertain to its two origins—the locality marker li and the discourse continuation marker ni—in Middle Chinese (201-1000 CE) and Early Mandarin (1001-1900).