Su, X. (2011). Reflexivität im Chinesischen: Eine integrative Analyse: Mit zwei Anhängen von Hans-Heinrich Lieb. (XIV + 293 pp.). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. Paperback.

Abstract

This book was published in the Linguistics Series of European University Studies, and is written in German. As the book's title suggests, this monograph is primarily a comprehensive analysis of reflexivity in spoken Standard Chinese in the framework of Integrational Linguistics. The author demonstrates that Chinese marks reflexivity only phonologically, with the use of reflexive pronoun(s), and argues that ziji (自己) is the only reflexive pronoun in Standard Chinese.

Different languages distinguish between referential and non-referential reflexive pronouns, and the author briefly demonstrates this with German sich. Referential uses denote semantic reflexivity (inhaltliche Reflexivität), whereas non-referential uses represent formal reflexivity (formale Reflexivität). Su asserts that the Chinese reflexive pronoun ziji is always referential and that there is no formal reflexivity in Chinese.

Since the research mainly focuses on the word ziji, not only in its reflexive usage but also in relation to intensifying and contrastive meanings and effects, this monograph could also be considered as a comprehensive research on ziji in Standard Chinese.