Johnson 2004 - CDLI - UCLA

(19) ta1 de lian3 hen3 bai2
she Poss face very white
Her face is pale.
(20) ta2 de lian3 bai2-bai2 de
she Poss face white-Redup Nmz
He face is beautifully white.
In (19), the single adjectival root is neutral, but it presumably takes on a negative
connotation in opposition to the reduplicated forms in (20). The reduplicated form in (20)
does not indicate plurality or intensive meanings as we might expect on the basis of
Sumerian or Akkadian comparisons, but rather that the referent of the adjective is, in an
affective way, viewed as small, delicate or pretty. The contrast is highlighted when the
adjective is question is something like “fat” as in (21) and (22).
(21) na4 ge (hen3) pang4 de xian1-sheng
that person very fat Nmz adult.male
That fat man …
(22) na4 ge pang4-pang4 de hai2-zi
that person fat-Redup Nmz child
That chubby (and cute) child …
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