FUNCTIONAL DICHOTOMY IN NARRATIVE: DISCOURSE ROLES OF THE PARTICLES -LE AND LE IN MANDARIN CHINESE

Abstract

This paper investigates the discourse functions of two homophonous particles in Mandarin Chinese — the aspectual marker -le and the modal particle le — in narrative discourse. It is grounded in Hopper's theory of the ”foreground-background” structure of narrative, where the perfective aspect (like -le) is related with the main, temporally progressive storyline (foreground), and the imperfective with the background (Hopper, 1982). Although these particles have been the subject of numerous grammatical-semantic studies, this research focuses on their pragmatic and discourse dimension, proceeding from the assumption that their (non-)use is not syntactically determined but governed by discourse principles.

1. Methodology of this research

The research is based on a corpus-based quantitative analysis of eight short stories by contemporary Chinese writers, translated into Serbian. The corpus was segmented into Elementary Discourse Units (EDU), which were then classified into two groups:

1. Temporal EDUs (TP EDUs): Units that constitute the main narrative thread and advance the plot.
2. Non-Temporal EDUs (NTP EDUs): Units that form the background, such as descriptions, comments, elaborations, etc.

The total corpus comprised 5,825 EDUs, of which 2,335 (40.1%) were TP EDUs and 3,490 (59.9%) were NTP EDUs. Within this corpus, 794 EDUs containing the particle -le and 307 EDUs containing the particle le were identified.

1. Quantitative Analysis of the Distribution of -le and le

The quantitative investigation of their distribution in narrative led to a key finding: there is a clear functional division between these two particles.

The particle -le shows a strong tendency to occur in main storyline events (TP EDUs). Of the 794 EDUs with -le, 518 (65.2%) were found in temporal structures. However, although crucial, its use is not obligatory: only 22.1% of all verbal situations in TP structures were marked with -le, indicating the existence of other mechanisms (such as lexical device as unmarked forms) for conveying perfective meaning.

The particle le demonstrated a tendency towards the background (NTP EDUs). Of the 307 EDUs with le, 201 (65.4%) were located in non-temporal structures. If cases where -le and le merge into a single morpheme (due to haplology in Chinese) are excluded, the proportion of NTP EDUs with le rises to 75.3%.

1. Empirical Analysis of the Discourse Functions of the Two Particles

Using rich examples, the paper illustrates the following key functions of these two particles in narrative.

• The Particle -le: Organizer of Temporal Structure

The primary role of -le is to mark an event as a bounded, completed whole. This is confirmed by the fact that in 92.1% of cases in TP structures, it co-occurs with verbal situations that inherently express boundedness (e.g., resultative verb compounds, telic verbs, quantitative specifiers). Its specific discourse functions in temporal (TP) structures are:

1. Initiating Temporal Progression: -le frequently appears in the initial EDU of a discourse span (a text segment), where it acts as a ”switch” that initiates a new sequence of events, particularly after a descriptive digression or upon a change of agent.
2. Marking Sequence Boundaries: -le also often occurs in the final EDU of a span, where it signals the end of one narrative unit and a transition to description or a new event sequence. This function often takes on the role of an information structure organizer, topicalizing the theme for the subsequent segment.
3. Managing Focus and Rhythm: Within the middle of a sequence, -le is used to explicitly mark a sequential relationship between actions or to highlight the culmination or most crucial moment in a series of events. In addition, the repetition of -le across several EDUs can create a specific rhythmic effect, emphasizing the scope or intensity of the action.

In non-temporal (NTP) structures, -le undergoes a process of ”detelicization” (cf. Bertinetto & Delfitto, 2000) — it loses its temporal sequential role and is reinterpreted. For instance, it can serve as an argument within a rhetorical relation (e.g., evidence for a comment) or, denote the inception or existence of a state in existential or ergative constructions.

• The Particle le: Organizer of Discourse Cohesion and Modality

The primary role of le is to manage the reader’s attention and interpretation. It signals a ”Currently Relevant State” (cf. Li et al. 1982) and establishes a shared informational platform between the narrator and the reader. Its specific discourse functions are:

1. Marking boundaries: le predominantly appears at the end of a discourse span (73.6% in TP, 65.2% in NTP), where it clearly demarcates the conclusion of a thematic unit and enables a smooth transition to a new one.
2. Establishing a new macro-level temporal frame: When it appears in the initial EDU of a span, le does not mark completion but rather temporally opens a new narrative unit or initiates a new descriptive framework.
3. Modal perspectivization (its most important function in NTP): In the background, le almost completely loses its aspectual-temporal meaning and becomes a purely modal device. Through it, the narrator expresses their attitude (evaluation, judgment), foreshadows future events, corrects false assumptions, and finalizes a thematic unit. In this way, le actively manages the reader’s interpretive perspective and establishes a common cognitive ground for understanding the story.

1. Key conclusions of the Study

This research unequivocally confirms the functional dichotomy between the particles -le and le in narrative discourse. Although of the same origin, they have grammaticalized into two discourse-specialized tools.

First, the particle -le is a mechanism for managing temporal progression at the micro-level. It initiates and closes event sequences on the main timeline, whereas le manages discourse at the macro-level: it organizes thematic units, introduces new, larger temporal frames and context, and controls modality.

Second, their roles are complementary. The particle -le builds the linear progression of the story, while le ensures its discourse coherence and depth through background information and the narrator’s perspective.

Third, this study confirms that the use of these particles is not grammatically obligatory but pragmatically motivated. They are rhetorical tools that the author uses to strategically manage the story line, the reader’s focus of attention, and the overall interpretation of the narrative.

These findings are significant both for the theoretical understanding of the aspectual-temporal system of Mandarin Chinese and for the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language, as they clarify one of the most complex issues learners face.