A Study Of The Chinese Grammatical Pattern "Búshì A,Jiùshì B" In International Chinese Teaching

“BúshìA,jiùshìB”(不是A,就是B)is a common structure in modern Chinese and also an error-prone grammatical point for the non-native Chinese speakers.This thesis first makes a corpus-based analysis of the writing part in advanced Chinese Proficiency Test(HSK)and finds that the examinees frequently make errors with this structure,most of which falling into the category of misusing the structure to express the meaning of“búshìA,érshìB”(不是A,而是B).The main cause of this typical error,by the thesis’s analysis,is that the examinees tend to improperly combine“búshìA”(不是A)and“jiùshìB”(就是B)together,which is a misapplication of the syntagmatic rule.To solve this error,the thesis reviews the literature on “búshì A,jiùshì B” and identifies two distinct grammatical meanings of the structure,i.e.“either A or B” and “not A,but B”.A close depiction and detailed analysis is made of the difference between the two kinds from the perspective of markedness.The research finds that,with the same form,“búshì A,jiùshì B” could have different nature.The unmarked “búshì A,jiùshì B” is a construction showing two alternatives,while the marked “búshì A,jiùshì B” is a combinatorial structure indicating contrast.The relevant marking devices include phonetic features,certain words appearing at the “A” position,some syntactic elements,and contextual information.In addition,the marked “búshì A,jiùshì B” indicating contrast is also found different in its appropriate context and effect of expression from the similar structure “búshì A,érshì B” which shares the same grammatical meaning“not A,but B”.The results of the above error analysis and ontology research suggest that the grading and grouping of “búshì A,jiùshì B” and its related patterns should be adjusted in syllabuses of Chinese teaching and assessment.On this basis,the thesis investigates the compiling of the structure in three commonly used Chinese-as-a-second-language textbooks: New Practical Chinese Reader,Developing Chinese,and Boya Chinese.The advantages and disadvantages of each textbook are analyzed for their users’ reference.Moreover,combining Output Hypothesis,suggestions are proposed on the compilation of textbooks as well as on teaching approach and methods regarding “búshì A,jiùshì B”to improve its teaching and reduce the aforementioned typical error.This thesis aims to deepen the ontological understanding of “búshì A,jiùshì B” and optimize the compilation of textbooks and Chinese teaching on this pattern.The study shows that markedness can be of considerable value to the teaching of Chinese grammar.It is hoped that more attention will be paid to the research and teaching of similar ambiguous structures whose meaning as a whole differs from that of their components combined.