Comparative Analysis Between Chinese Adverbs Zài, Yòu And Indonesian Adverbs Lagi

Comparative Analysis Between Chinese Adverbs Zài, Yòu And Indonesian Adverbs Lagi

^*Minny Elisa Yanggah, Kevin Julius, Elisa Churota’ayun

Chinese Language Education Widya Kartika University, Indonesia

^*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.807055

Received: 13 June 2024; Revised: 24 June 2024; Accepted: 28 June 2024; Published: 01 August 2024

ABSTRACT 

When learning a second language, it cannot be separated from the grammatical aspect, such is the case with Mandarin. In order to be able to speak Chinese properly and correctly, one needs to learn grammar. When understanding grammar, vocabulary mastery is also important to learn. This research, which has been carried out in the frame of contrastive linguistics and universal grammar, focuses on the distribution of adverbs zài, yòu in Chinese and lagi in Indonesian. The objects of the research are to describe and compare the distribution of those three adverbs. The data was obtained from Chinese literary such as textbooks, Chinese grammar books, journals, articles. The results show the contrasts between those found in Chinese and Indonesian.

Keywords – comparative analysis, adverbs, zài, yòu, lagi

INTRODUCTION

Language is one of the most fundamental abilities possessed by humans. Various activities undertaken by humans such as working, learning, and playing all require language skills. Through language, humans can communicate with friends, family, teachers, and others. The rapid advancement of technology in the current era of industrial revolution has triggered communication involving various countries. Therefore, we also need to learn some foreign languages to facilitate the communication process.

When studying a language structure, it is important to understand the different types of words. Words are units of language that can stand alone and have an open nature.[1] Among all types of words in Mandarin, this research is interested in researching the usage of adverbs, specifically the words zài and yòu, which both have the same function and meaning in Indonesian, which is lagi.

Liu [2] in his research stated that the adverbs zài and yòu, if both of these adverbs are at the same level, have the same meaning. In Indonesian, the words zài and yòu have the same meaning, which is ‘again’, and they function as adverbs to indicate the repetition of an activity. Based on Elisa [3] research conducted by administering a questionnaire containing questions about the usage of the adverbs zài and yòu to fifth-grade students at Little Sun School Surabaya, it was found that one of the reasons for the incorrect usage of these adverbs is the complexity of the grammar of zài and yòu, as well as a lack of comprehensive understanding in using the adverbs zài and yòu.

This is also supported by research conducted by Lestari [4], which also found that there are many errors in the usage of the adverbs zài and yòu, caused by several factors such as the influence of one’s first language when learning a second language, the complexity of the adverbs zài and yòu themselves, incomplete mastery of the theory, etc.

From this research we found many of the student encounter difficulties when learning the adverbs zài and yòu, resulting in errors in sentence formation. Based on this, this research intends to conduct a comparative analysis among the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi. This research hopes that the results of this research can assist students who are currently studying Mandarin and reduce the percentage of errors that occur during the learning of the adverbs zài and yòu.

Problem Statement

Based on the background described above, the researcher intends to conduct research with the problem statement, which is:

1. What are the similarities in the usage of the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi?
2. What are the differences in the usage of the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi?

Research Objectives

Based on the problem statement, the objectives of this research are as follows:

1. To determine the similarities in the usage of the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi.
2. To determine the differences in the usage of the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi.

METHODOLOGY 

In this research implements a qualitative descriptive research method to seek, collect, manage, and analyze research data regarding the comparison of the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi. Therefore, this research will first identify the problems related to students’ difficulties in using the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi. Then, this research will gather theories and supporting data about the usage of these adverbs. The data sources in this study are not obtained from respondents but are collected through documents, including research journals, books, and other relevant sources. Finally, in the last step in this research will analyze the similarities and differences among the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi, as well as the possible reasons why students, whose native language is Indonesian, make mistakes when using these three words. Subsequently, this research will draw conclusions based on the comparative results of these three words.

Instrument and Data Collection

The primary instrument supporting the analysis of the comparison of the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi is the comparative studies. This research will gather various data and theories through a literature review, which involves collecting data related to the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi from various sources such as books, journals, articles, the internet, etc. Subsequently, this research will conduct a study to identify the similarities and differences in the usage of the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi, as well as the possible reasons why students, whose native language is Indonesian, make mistakes when using these three words.

DISCUSSION

Similarities Usage of the Adverbs zài and yòu

Below are some of the similarities between the words zài and yòu that this research has found, including:

1. Having the function of indicating that the activity occurs in large quantities and is constant.[5], [6] Example:

1) Wǒ zàisān  xiàng   tāmen   jiěshì,  tāmenI  again and again  toward  they    explain  they cái    xiàngxìn wǒ. just   believe    I

’I explained it to them again and again before they believed me.’

2) Tā  yī         cì          yòu     yī       cì          xiàng he   one   NUMCL   again  one  NUMCL toward wǒ shuō: “Wǒ xǐhuān  nǐ”. I   speak     I     like     you

‘He said to me again and again: “I like you”.’

In examples (1) and (2), the adverbs zài and yòu are used to indicate a recurring or repetitive action. In sentence (1), the word zài describes that the action of jiěshì ‘to explain’ is repeatedly performed by the subject wǒ ‘I’. Likewise, in sentence (2), the subject tā ‘he’ repeatedly says Wǒ xǐhuān nǐ ‘I like you’ to the object wǒ ‘I’.

2. It serves the function of indicating whether the activity will occur in the future or has not yet occurred. Example:

3) Wǒ juédé  yī   nián  shíjiān  tài  duǎn    le,  wǒ  I    think  one  year    time    too  short  PART[1]  I xiǎng  zài     xué    yī    nián. want  again  learn  one                    year

‘I think one year is too short and I want to study for another year.’

4) Míngtiān  yòu   shì  xīngqīrì  le,        wǒmen   tomorrow   again  be   Sunday  PART   we yòu    kěyǐ  qù   jiāowài      yóuwán  le. again can   go countryside play PART

Tomorrow is Sunday again, and we can go to the countryside again.’

In examples (3) and (4), the adverbs zài and yòu share a common function, which is to indicate an activity that will happen in the future. In sentence (3), the word zài conveys that the subject wǒ ‘I’ intends to study again in the upcoming year. In sentence (4), it describes Sunday and an activity that wǒmen ‘we’ do regularly, making it appropriate to use yòu. When the adverb yòu is used to express future actions, it typically applies to recurring activities like events on a calendar, school schedules, etc.

3. It serves the function of indicating that the activity happened in the past or has already occurred. [7] Example:

5) Sān nián  qián  wǒ   qù  kàn   le tā  yí  three  year   ago  I  go   see  PART he  one cì,   dāngshí  tā    de    shēnghuó  hěn    jiānkǔ, NUMCL then  he AUX life very    hard guò    le   yí   nián  zài kàn  tā  shí ver PART one year  again  see  he  time jìng  wánquán rèn bù   chū  tā  lái  unexpectedly   totally recognize  not  out   he  to le. PART

‘I went to see him three years ago, and his life was very difficult at that time, and when I saw him again a year later, I didn’t recognize him at all.’

6) Tā zuótiān méiyǒu lái shàngkè, jīntiān  yòu he yesterday no  come class  today again méi  lái. no   come

‘He didn’t come to class yesterday and didn’t come today.’

In examples (5) and (6), the adverbs zài and yòu share a common function, which is to indicate an activity that happened in the past. In sentence (5), the time context is not focused on the present but rather on the time phrase sān nián qián ‘three years ago’, and the situation in yí nián ‘one year ‘is unpredictable, as evidenced by the sentence wánquán rèn bù chū tā lái le ‘didn’t recognize him at all’, where the subject wǒ ‘I’ appears surprised by the significant changes in the subject tā ‘he’. When the adverb zài is used to express activities or actions in the past, it typically applies to contexts of unexpected or non-regular occurrences. Similarly, in sentence (6), the use of the adverb yòu conveys the meaning that yesterday tā ‘he’ didn’t come to class,” emphasizing the past occurrence of the action of not coming to class.

4. It serves the function of expanding the scope by providing additional information. Example:

7) Wǒ de fángjiān li  yǒu  guìzi, chuángwèi,I AUX  room    in  have  cupboard bed kōngtiáo, zài  jiù  shì  wǒ de  zhuōzi. air conditioning again it   be   I AUX desk

‘My room has a cupboard, a bed, an air conditioner, and then my desk.’

8) Chúle jiǎngjīn,  yòu  fā  le yī  bù except bonus again  issued  PART  one  NUMCL bǐjìběn   diànnǎo.   notebook computer

‘In addition to the bonus, another laptop was issued.’

In examples (7) and (8), the adverbs zài and yòu share a common function, which is to expand the scope of discussion by providing additional information. In sentence (7), the word zài offers additional information that, in addition to the wardrobe, bed, and AC in the subject wǒ de fángjiān ‘my room’, there is also another item, which is a table. In sentence (8), the context implies that besides receiving a cash gift, there was also another gift received, namely a laptop.

5. It serves the function of indicating sequential actions or events. Example:

9) Wǒmen xiān zuò  shùxué   kè de zuòyè  we  first   do    math  course AUX homework zài qù  diànyǐngyuàn.again  go  cinema

‘We do our homework in math class first and then go to the cinema.’

10) Zuótiān tā  gāng cóng  Shànghǎi    huí    lái, yesterday he just   from  Shanghai   come  back míngtiān    yòu  yào   qù Xī’ān. tomorrow again want go Xi’an

‘Yesterday he just came back from Shanghai, and tomorrow he will go to Xi’an.’

In examples (9) and (10), the adverbs zài and yòu share a common function, which is to describe sequential actions or events. In sentence (9), it states that wǒmen ‘we’ will first do homework and then go to the cinema. In sentence (10), it explains that tā ‘he’ just returned from Shanghai yesterday and will go to Xi’an again tomorrow.

Similarities Usage of The Adverb zài and lagi

This research has found a similarity between the Chinese adverb zài and the Indonesian adverb lagi, which is that both can be used before verbs with the contextual meanings of “adding an action” and “more.” [8] Example:

11) Zhè ge cài  zài    fàng shàng diǎnr  cōng, this NUMCL dish  ADV  put on little onion jiù gèng   xiāng  le. MOD more fragrant PART

‘Add a little green onion to this dish, and it will be even more fragrant.’

12) “Adit, tunggu sebentar lagi!” name wait     awhile   again

‘Adit, please wait a moment!’

In examples (11) and (12), the adverb zài and lagi serve a similar function, which is to be placed before verbs to convey the meaning of “adding”. Sentence (11) indicates that adding a bit of onion can enhance smell of the dish, while sentence (12) has the contextual meaning of requesting additional time to wait.

Similarities Usage of The Adverb “yòu” and “lagi”

Below are some similarities between the Chinese adverb yòu and the Indonesian adverb lagi that this research has discovered, including:

1. Serving the function of emphasizing the preceding word or sentence. Examples:

13) Mèimei yòu búshì xiǎohái, yòng buzháo younger sister    again  not     child     use     no   guǎn       de    nàme  yán. manage AUX that   strict

‘My sister is not a child, so she doesn’t need to be so strict.’

14) Rasa sakit  di       gigi  saya  sudah   tidak sense  pain  PREP teeth   I  already  no ter-tahan        lagi. PASS-stuck anymore

‘The pain in my tooth is unbearable now.’

In examples (13) and (14), adverb yòu and lagi share a similar function of emphasizing the sentence that comes before them. In sentence (13), yòu emphasizes that the subject mèimei “younger sister” is no longer a child, while in sentence (14), lagi emphasizes that the toothache felt by saya ‘I’ is unbearable.

2. Serving the function of explaining the presence of two situations or conditions that are the same and occurring simultaneously. Examples:

15) Wǒmen de  jiàoshì    yòu ānjìng  yòu gānjìng. we AUX classroom and quiet   and   clean

‘Our classrooms are quiet and clean.’

16) “Ibu, lihat! Koper yang di-jual di mother look  suitcase which  PASS-sell  PREP toko  itu,  kecil lagi mahal”. shop that small yet expensive

‘Mother, look! The suitcase being sold in that store is small yet expensive.’

In examples (15) and (16), the adverb yòu and lagi serve a similar function of connecting adjectives that indicate an equal level and occur simultaneously. The phrases with yòu and lagi in the examples above convey the meaning of “not only” … “but also” or “and,” “as well as”, “also”.

Similarities Usage of The Adverb” zài”, “yòu” and Word “lagi”

The similarity between the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi that this research has found is that they all have the same function in a sentence, which is to indicate or state a recurring action. Examples:

17) Jīntiān dìdì qù kàn tā   le,      dìdì      míngtiān today   brother go see he PART brother  tomorrow

xiǎng zài    qù.want  again go

‘My brother went to see him today, and my brother wants to go again tomorrow.’

18) Tā zuótiān    lái      le,     jīntiān  yòu    lái      le.he yesterday come PART today  again come PART

‘He came yesterday and again today.’

19) Saya ber-harap besok   kalian  datang lagi. I ACT-hope tomorrow you come again

‘I hope you come again tomorrow.’

In examples (17), (18), and (19), it can be seen that the similarity in the use of the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi serves the same function in a sentence, which is used to express that a particular activity or condition happens repeatedly. Sentence (17) has the context that the subject dìdì ‘younger brother’ will meet tā ‘he’ again tomorrow. Sentence (18) has the context that the subject tā ‘he’ will come back again tomorrow. Sentence (19) indicates that the subject saya ‘I’ hopes that kalian ‘you’ will come back tomorrow.

Differences Usage of The Adverb zài, yòu, and lagi

1. The adverbs zài and lagi have the function of indicating something “more,” while the adverb yòu does not have this function.

Referring to the example Zhè ge cài zài fàng shàng diǎnr cōng, jiù gèng xiāng le. ‘Add a little green onion to this dish, and it will be even more fragrant.’ and Adit, Tunggu sebentar lagi! ‘Adit, please wait a moment!’, it can be observed that only the word zài and the word lagi carry the meaning of “adding” or “more,” and therefore, the word yòu cannot be used in these sentences.

2. The adverb zài, when followed by a negatively expressed sentence, carries the implied meaning of “no matter how… still…” [9] whereas the adverb yòu and lagi do not have this function.

Referring to the example:

20) Gēge zài shuō   dìdi yě  bù Elder brother ADV speak younger brother also no tīng. listen

‘No matter how the elder brother said, the younger brother still didn’t want to listen.’

it can be understood that only the word zài can create the context of meaning “no matter how… still…” whereas, the word yòu and lagi cannot be used in sentences with that specific context.

3. The adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi have different placements in negative sentences. Examples:

21) Wǒ yǐjīng fùxí dì shí kè le, I  already review section ten lesson PART suǒyǐ  jīntiān méiyǒu zài  fùxí.

Therefore today no again review

‘I’ve already reviewed lesson 10, so I didn’t review it again today.’

22) Zuótiān bàba   méiyǒu chī  zǎofàn,   jīntiān  yòu yesterday father no  eat  breakfast  today  again

méiyǒu chī  zǎofàn. no         eat breakfast

‘Yesterday my dad didn’t have breakfast, and today he didn’t have breakfast.’

23) Hari ini dia tidak makan lagi. Day this he    no      eat      again

‘Today he didn’t eat again.’

In examples (21), (22), and (23), it can be seen that in negative sentences, the adverb zài, yòu, and lagi have different placements. The word zài in sentence (21) should be put after the negative word méiyǒu ‘no’, before the verb fùxí ‘review’. The word yòu in sentence (22) should be put before the negative word méiyǒu ‘no’. And the word lagi in sentence (23) should be put after the negative word tidak ‘no’ and also the verb makan ‘eat’. However, the word zài also has another placement format not shared by yòu, as shown in the example below:

24) Jiějiě zài bu xiǎng  tiàowǔ  le. sister anymore no want dance   PART

My sister doesn’t want to dance anymore.

In example (24), it represents another negative sentence format for the adverb zài. If the word zài is placed before the negative word (in this example the negative word is bù ‘no’), it means that the activity will never happen again, whereas if it’s placed after the negative word, it means the activity has stopped but might happen again.

At the other case as follows:

25) Yǔ zài   bu tíng, míngtiān  de bǐsài jiù rain again no stop tomorrow AUX game  will  chéng wèntí       le. become problem PART

‘If the rain doesn’t stop, tomorrow’s game will be a problem.’

It’s important to note that when zài is placed before the negative word bù ‘no’, and the sentence has two conditions, in this example is yǔ bu tíng ‘the rain doesn’t stop’ and míngtiān de bǐsài jiù chéng wèntí le ‘tomorrow’s game will be a problem’, it carries an implied meaning of “if”.

4. The adverb yòu has the function of emphasizing a turning point or contradiction, whereas the adverbs zài and lagi do not have this function.

26) Yǒu jiàn shì xiǎng gàosù nǐ, yòu pà there NUMCL matter want  tell   you  ADV afraid nǐ  tīng le      bù  gāoxìng, nǐ   xiǎng tīng you hear PART no happy    you  want   hear ma? MOOD PART

‘There’s something I want to tell you, but I’m afraid you’ll be unhappy to hear it, do you want to hear it?’

In the example above, the word yòu is used to express contradiction between the verb xiǎng ‘want’ (the first one) and pà ‘afraid’, instead of zài, therefore the translation in English is using ‘but’, instead of ‘again’. Likewise in Indonesian is using the word tetapi ‘but’, instead of lagi.

27) Ada sesuatu  yang  ingin saya beritahu kepada there matter   which  want   I  tell to kamu, tetapi saya khawatir kamu tidak akan you but I worry you no will senang, apakah kamu ingin men-dengar-nya?”. happy   what    you   want     ACT-hear-3sg

There’s something I want to tell you, but I’m afraid you’ll be unhappy to hear it, do you want to hear it?

Thus, because of this function, yòu in the example (26) can be replaced by dànshì ‘but’.

28) Yǒu jiàn  shì  xiǎng  gàosù nǐ,  dànshì pà there NUMCL matter want  tell you but afraid nǐ    tīng   le  bù  gāoxìng,  nǐ  xiǎng  tīng you hear  PART  no   happy    you  want  hear ma? MOOD PART

‘There’s something I want to tell you, but I’m afraid you’ll be unhappy to hear it, do you want to hear it?’

5. The word lagi has the function of indicating ongoing activities, whereas the adverbs zài and yòu do not have this function.

For example:

29) Jangan berisik, ibu lagi    don’t     noisy   mother ADV sleep

‘Don’t make noise, mom is sleeping.’

In this sentence the adverb lagi indicates that the activity tidur ‘to slep’ is currently in progress.

6. In the sentences contains the verbs indicates an ability or willing, the adverb zài should be placed after those verb, and the adverb yòu should be placed in front of the verb. In Indonesian, the adverb lagi should be placed at the end of the sentence. Examples:

30) Wǒ xiǎng zài chī  jiǎozǐ. I want again eat dumpling

‘I want to eat dumplings again.’

31) Wǒ yòu xiǎng chī   jiǎozǐ   le. I again want eat dumpling PART

‘I want to eat dumplings again.’

32) Saya ingin membaca  buku novel  ini  lagi. I want ACT-read book novel this again

‘I want to read this novel again.’

In the sentence (30), the adverb zài is placed after the verb that indicates an ability or willing xiǎng ‘want’, and the semantic pointing of zài ‘again’ refers to the repetition of the action chī ‘eat’. On the other hand, the adverb yòu ‘again’ in the sentence (31) is placed before the verb xiǎng ‘want’, and the semantic pointing of yòu refers to the repetition of the verb xiǎng ‘want’. In the Indonesian example (32) contains the verbs indicates an ability or willing ingin ‘want’, and the adverb lagi ‘again’ is placed at the end of the sentence.

Table I Comparison of Chinese Adverbs Zài, Yòu, and Indonesian Adverbs Lagi

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the analysis of the comparison between the adverbs zài, yòu, and lagi, this research can draw the conclusion that among these three words, they have similarities and differences as follows:

1. The words zài, yòu, and lagi have the function of indicating repetition in both the future and the past.
2. The words zài and yòu can indicate activities with a large quantity, expand the scope, and denote sequential actions.
3. The word zài and the word lagi have a contextual meaning of “adding an action,” whereas the word yòu does not have this function.
4. The word zài can indicate something “more” and has an implicit meaning of “no matter how… still…” while the words yòu and lagi do not have this function.
5. The words yòu and lagi can emphasize the meaning that precedes them, explaining two situations or events that are the same at the same time.
6. The word yòu can explain two conflicting situations or events happening at the same time and strengthen the point of contrast or contradiction, while the words zài and lagi do not have this function.
7. The word lagi can indicate ongoing activities.
8. The word zài is placed after a verb indicating ability, the word yòu is placed before a verb indicating ability, and the word lagi has a relatively flexible placement.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Thank you to Yulius Hari, who provide input for this research. And we would like to thank LPPM Widya Kartika University to support this research.

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FOOTNOTE

[1] List of Abbreviations: 1, 2, 3 = 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd person; ACT = active; ADV = adverbs; AUX = auxiliary; MOD = modal; MOOD PART = mood particle; NUMCL = number classifier; PART = particle; PASS = passive; PREP = preposition; SG = singular