Essays on Writing and Language in Honor - Sino-Platonic Papers

Schnfrfestschn!: <strong>Essays</strong> in Homr of John DeFrancis
ability in its simpler sense. Their common knowledge seems to derive from
extra social and contextual cues.
The environments in which ma?, - occurs.
During his interview with Lu Keng, Hu Yaobang used ma2 in the following
way:
- 1. after stating obvious fact.:
(Taiwan) Shizhishang ye shi ge S&g zhzhgE ma.
(Taiwan) in fact is a local government.
2. after a set phrase:
. . . . D6, Mel, d6u mei xing ch6ng t6ngJ;i' de gliojia ma.
. . . . Gemany, US, (at that time in the 18th century) had not become
a &ed nation.
3. after clear folk logic:
zhei ge pi0 ha5 ma, shi zhhgyi zhi sheng ma.
This whistle blowing is good, it's the sound of justice.
4. after a suggestion or an advice, thus, persuasion:
niv&ng ge MO ma
you should expose it in the paper.
5. after a proverb:
tiashi dili rEnh6 ma. (from Bi2ozhiin Hiia)
(The success is due to) heavenly timing, profitable locale and
harmonious human relationships.
The above uses of ma2 are as an attachment to utterances about
"obvious" truths. In that respect these utterances are somewhat' like
proverbs in Chinese. The contexts indicate that the speaker is marshalling
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