Abstract
Abstract
The Chinese language has encouraged the paradigm shift in linguistics away from Chomsky-style sentence-internal
rules toward usage-based discourse. Analysts have debated two possibilities: is Chinese an allegedly ‘inferior’ and ambiguous
language because it rests on the ‘three zeros’: zero subjects, zero anaphora, and zero tense? Or does Chinese use ‘hidden
complexity’ (Bisang 2009) to make reference clear by discourse marking? Chinese
pressure points on linguistic theory center on these ‘three zeros’. Zero subjects have influenced a broader research category of
topic-centered languages. Zero anaphora influenced reference tracking beyond the sentence. Zero tense expanded understanding of
time and aspect. The process of the shift comes from international networks of multilingual scholars of Chinese. They have
collaborated to form a critical mass of explicitly comparative, empirical research. Chinese interdisciplinary research has been
especially influential in typology, child language, cross-cultural communications, translation and artificial intelligence. Fifty
years ago, mainstream conferences, textbooks, books, and journals almost never featured Chinese. Now they routinely do.
Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Subject
Linguistics and Language,Visual Arts and Performing Arts
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