Cover not available

Article In: International Journal of Chinese Linguistics
Vol. 13:1 (2026) ► pp.100–126

Exceptive construction

Pragma-rhetorical effectiveness in semantic illogicality

ORCiD logo with link | Yunnan Normal University
ORCiD logo with link | Putian University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
Exceptive construction (EC), an interesting pragma-rhetorical phenomenon, frequently occurs in Chinese interpersonal encounters. It refers to an utterance that achieves pragma-rhetorical effectiveness through superficial semantic incongruity. This is realized by a combination of affirmative and negative components and by the exclusion of one thing alongside the inclusion of another, establishing a meronymic or partitive relationship between the two parts. Few studies considered various contextual factors in actual use of EC or explained from a pragma-rhetorical perspective the reason why Chinese speakers often choose EC in interpersonal encounters, hence descriptive inadequacy and explanatory inadequacy. Drawing on the Pragma-rhetorical Principle and data from the classical Chinese novel A Dream of Red Mansions, this paper conducts a qualitative plus quantitative corpus-based analysis of EC’s syntactic, semantic properties and pragma-rhetorical function and effect in Chinese contexts. It is hoped that this study will offer insights for understanding traditional rhetorical devices from a pragma-rhetorical perspective, as well as contrastive studies of Chinese and English.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Research background
    • 2.1Pragma-rhetorical principle
    • 2.2Exceptive construction
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Research questions
    • 3.2Data collection
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Exceptive construction contextualized
    • 4.2Markedness of exceptive construction
    • 4.3Gender and social ranking in uses of exceptive construction
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Function and effect of exceptive construction
    • 5.2Contextual factors giving rise to exceptive construction
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Glossing abbreviations
  • Note
  • Author queries
  • References
References (43)
References
Antonopoulou, E., & Nikiforidou, K. (2011). Construction grammar and conventional discourse: A construction-based approach to discoursal incongruity. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(10), 2594–2609. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Aziz, R. N. (2022). Pragma-rhetorical analysis to Covid-19 headlines. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 6(1), 100340. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cai, Y. (2012). A study on compliment response strategies by Chinese college students. Journal of Language Teaching & Research, (3), 543–549. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cao, X., & Gao, E. (2006). A Dream of Red Mansions, Tr. by Yang, X., & Yang, G. Foreign Language Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chambers, J. K. (1992). Linguistic correlates of gender and sex. English World-Wide, 13(2), 173–218. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chen, X. (2019). “You’re a nuisance!”: “Patch-up” jocular abuse in Chinese fiction. Journal of Pragmatics, 1391, 52–63. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cui, R. (2008). The figure of speech chuanhu, enriching the sentence meaning. Educational Practice and Research, (9), 17. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Culpeper, J., & Haugh, M. (2014). Pragmatics and the English Language. Palgrave Macmillan. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Deutsch, M. (1965). The role of social class in language development and cognition. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 35(1), 78–88. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Goldberg, A. E. (2006). Constructions at Work. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hou, G. (2020). Puzzles for pragmatics and rhetoric and advent of Pragma-rhetoric. International Review of Pragmatics, 12(2), 246–271. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2023). Translation principle of pragma-rhetoric. Chinese Translators Journal, 44(2), 144–151. [URL]
Ilie, C. (2018). Pragmatics vs rhetoric: Political discourse at the pragmatics-rhetoric interface. In N. R. Norrick & C. Ilie (Eds.), Pragmatics and Its Interfaces (pp. 85–119). John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jiang, Q., & Chen, X. (2019). Pragma-rhetoric: Disciplinary orientation and analysis framework. Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice, 168(4), 1–7. [URL]
Kádár, D., & Haugh, M. (2013). Understanding Politeness. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Li, C. N., & Thompson, S. A. (1981). Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar. University of California Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Li, Y., & Sheng, Y. (2010). Chinese Rhetoric. Guangdong Education Publishing House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lian, S. (2022). Contrastive Studies of English and Chinese. Higher Education Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Liu, X. (2005). Chuanhu: Not a linguistic error. Teaching Reference of Middle School Language, 34(5), 61. [URL]
Liu, Y., & Zhu, C. (2011). Rhetoric as the antistrophos of pragmatics: Toward a “competition of cooperation” in the study of language use. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(14), 3403–3415. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Locher, A. M., & Jucker, H. A. (Eds.). (2017). Pragmatics of Fiction. Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lu, J. (2013). A discussion on “hierarchical inclusion of Chinese nouns, verbs and adjectives” and other things. Journal of Sino-Tibetan Linguistics, 7(7), 137–146. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mubarak, A. S., & Rhaif, K. K. (2021). Investigating pragma-rhetorical strategies utilized by American commencement speakers to motivate graduates for managing future opportunities and challenges. Linguistics and Culture Review, 5(S1), 342–362. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ren, L., Sun, H., & Yang, J. (2010). Chinese-English Parallel Corpus of A Dream of Red Mansions. [URL]
Saeed, S. T. (2023). The syntax of exceptive constructions in Arabic. Acta Linguistica Academica. An International Journal of Linguistics, 70(1), 38–63. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Song, G. (2007). A rhetorical device more used than analysed: Chuanhu. Occupation, 14(14), 52. [URL]
Sun, M. (1992). On naming the new figure of speech chuanhu. Contemporary Rhetoric, 11(2), 27. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tan, X., Pu, K., & Shen, M. (2010). Dictionary of Chinese Rhetorical Devices. Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tan, Y. (1983). New Rhetorical Devices. Jinan University Publishing.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(1992). The issues of chuanhu — A reply to Mr. Sun Mengming. Contemporary Rhetoric, 27(2), 26–27. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Von Fintel, K. (1993). Exceptive constructions. Natural Language Semantics, 1(2), 123–148. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, Y. (1997). Logical basis of the rhetorical device chuanhu. The Social Science Journal of Anqing Teachers College, 16(4), 103–104. [URL]
Wang, Z. (2022). Theoretical Construction and Empirical Research on Relationship Management in Organisational Contexts. Jilin University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wide, C. (2009). Interactional construction grammar: contextual features of determination in dialectal Swedish. In A. Bergs, & G. Diewald (Eds.), Contexts and Constructions (pp. 111–141). John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xing, Q. (2022). A pragma-rhetoric study of chuanhu construction. Foreign Language and Literature Studies, 39(2), 3–9. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xu, F. (2012). Chuanhu? A linguistic error?. New Teacher, 1(6), 63. [URL]
Yang, Y. (2016). Research on the Rhetoric of the Riddle Songs. MA thesis, Hunan Normal University. [URL]
Yao, W. (2015). A study of chuanhu sentences in the literary and media discourse. Journal of Jingchu University of Technology, 30(3), 34–38. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yu, N. (1993). Chinese as a paratactic language. Journal of Second Language Acquisition and Teaching, 1(1), 1–15. [URL]
Yum, O. J. (2009). The impact of Confucianism on interpersonal relationships and communication patterns in East Asia. Communication Monographs, 55(4), 374–388. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zhang, G. (2002). Seemingly paradoxical, but ingenious indeed. Thinking and Wisdom, 21(6), 54. [URL]
Zhang, R. (2020). Shifting Meaning Potential in Interpreter-mediated Formal Interaction: The Case of the Chinese Premier’s Press Conference in China. PhD dissertation, University of Antwerp. [URL]
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue