A Comparative Study of the Semantic Role of the Chinese Adverbial Marker “地” and the Thai Adverbial Marker “อย่าง”

Abstract

This research aims to compare the semantic roles of the Chinese adverbial marker “地” and the Thai adverbial marker “อย่าง” through a qualitative study. The research involved surveying Chinese and Thai sentences from selected sources as a basis for analysis and comparison of the two markers. The sample included modern Chinese literature and the Thai National Corpus (Third Edition) under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The findings revealed three key points. Firstly, both “地” and “อย่าง” could combine with words or word groups that expressed manner or characteristics to function as adverbial markers. However, “地” could also combine with words or word groups that resemble nouns, a feature not seen with “อย่าง,” due to “地” having a higher degree of grammaticalization. Second, the roles of both markers are tied to sentence correctness, but the reasons behind incorrect sentences caused by their omission differ. For example, in Chinese, if the adverbial modifier omits “地,” it cannot be understood as the adverbial modifier or part of the serial verb construction, resulting in an ungrammatical sentence. In Thai, if the adverbial modifier omits “อย่าง,” it cannot be interpreted as the adverbial modifier, part of the serial verb construction, or object, which also leads to an incorrect sentence. Thirdly, the roles of “地” and “อย่าง” influence sentence comprehension, but their omission impacts meaning differently. For instance, in Chinese, even without “地,” the adverbial modifier may still be interpreted as a part of the serial verb construction. In contrast, in Thai, the omission of “อย่าง” allows for multiple interpretations, such as being a part of the serial verb construction, object, modifier of object, or even affecting the overall sentence meaning.