ABSTRACT
In this chapter we will condense the findings of the previous three chapters and formulate a general characterisation of the particle le in Chinese discourse, thereby taking into account the questions posed in Chapter 3. We will argue that across all exchanges the function of the particle le as a ‘common-ground co-ordination device’ can be maintained. We claim that the ‘why’ question of the particle’s use is a modification of the ‘structure’ of the common ground as it is represented by the ‘mental model’, which is constituted at that moment.1 The ‘when’ question relates to the moments that interactants in a verbal interaction find suitable, or use conventionally, as ‘co-ordination points’. We observed in the previous chapters that moments of ‘deviation’, ‘solutionhood’, and certain forms of ‘construal’ answer the ‘when’ question. In order to get this into a sharper perspective, we will scrutinise our findings once more in this chapter in order to get this clearer, and better understand the nature of co-ordination-point marking, the main function of uses of the particle le, and its relation to common-ground structure. It is the latter notion, we feel, that is crucial for understanding the relationship between the various manifestations of marking with the particle le.
