37.2885, Reviews: A Linguistic Comparison of Chinese and English: Chao Li (2026)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2885. Thu Sep 10 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2885, Reviews: A Linguistic Comparison of Chinese and English: Chao Li (2026)

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Date: 10-Sep-2026
From: Sijie Mou [smou01 at qub.ac.uk]
Subject: Chao Li (2026)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/37-491

Title: A Linguistic Comparison of Chinese and English
Subtitle: Structural, functional, and typological perspectives
Series Title: Studies in Language Companion Series   239
Publication Year: 2026

Publisher: John Benjamins
           http://www.benjamins.com/
Book URL: https://benjamins.com/catalog/slcs.239

Author(s): Chao Li

Reviewer: Sijie Mou

SUMMARY
Chao Li’s “A Linguistic Comparison of Chinese and English” examines
two clearly defined standard varieties: Standard Mandarin, based on
the Beijing dialect, and Standard/General American English as used by
major US broadcasters. Drawing on approximately fifteen years of
teaching experience, the volume is intended to serve both as a
reference work and as a teaching resource for readers interested in
language comparison and linguistic typology. Beyond identifying
similarities and differences between Mandarin and English, the
comparison is intended to evaluate claims about linguistic principles
and universals and to identify broader cross-linguistic regularities
from structural, functional, and typological perspectives. In Li’s
formulation, the project seeks to “find invariance from variances” (p.
4).
Chapter 1 sets out the methodological principles underlying the
volume. Li emphasises the need to define analytical categories
explicitly, since linguistic terms may be understood differently
across theoretical traditions. He also distinguishes linguistic form
from meaning and function, while recognising that some categories
involve both dimensions. Mandarin and English are placed on a common
analytical basis, and their similarities and differences are related
to structural properties, functional motivations, and interactions
among linguistic subsystems. The chapter further stresses the
importance of testing proposed universals against cross-linguistic
evidence while giving priority to recurring patterns over isolated
exceptions.
Chapter 2 establishes the volume’s initial typological framework by
reassessing Mandarin and English in relation to tonal status,
morphological type, monosyllabicity, subject and topic prominence, and
dominant word order. Li characterises Mandarin as tonal, more strongly
analytic, predominantly monosyllabic at the morphemic rather than the
word level, and topic-prominent, whereas English is non-tonal and
subject-prominent. Neither language is strictly isolating or
monosyllabic at the word level, and both have SVO as their dominant
order while displaying properties associated with both VO and OV
types. The chapter thus demonstrates how typological classification
depends on the definitions, units of analysis, and diagnostic criteria
employed. Chapters 3 and 4 extend the comparison to phonemic
inventories, tone and intonation, syllable structure, and stress,
relating the two languages to broader phonological tendencies and
proposed universals. Chapter 5 contrasts the morphosyllabic Chinese
writing system with the alphabetic English system, examining their
historical development, cultural influence, learnability, efficiency,
continuity across time and space, and role in disambiguation. It
concludes by questioning accounts that treat alphabetic writing as
inherently more advanced.
Chapters 6–9 move from wordhood and lexical classification to
morphology and tense–aspect. Chapter 6 defends “word” as a viable
cross-linguistic category with psychological reality for speakers of
both Mandarin and English, although orthographic spacing makes word
boundaries more transparent in English. Under Li’s prototype
definitions, both languages have the four major word classes, although
English encodes some word-class distinctions more overtly than
Mandarin. Chapter 7 proposes a relatively sharp distinction between
numeral classifiers and measure words, classifying Mandarin, but not
English, as a numeral-classifier language and relating the Mandarin
classifier system to cognitive, semantic, and cultural factors.
Chapter 8 shows that the two languages share most major word-formation
processes but differ in their relative productivity, using Mandarin
morphology to challenge claims that Chinese has little or no
morphology. Chapter 9 distinguishes tense from viewpoint aspect,
characterising English as more tense-prominent and Mandarin as more
aspect-prominent. On Li’s broader definition of grammatical tense,
Mandarin should not be regarded as wholly tenseless, since
grammaticalised non-affixal means are also included in the analysis.
Chapters 10–13 examine the interaction among grammatical relations,
discourse organisation, information structure, and constituent order.
Chapter 10 revisits the distinction between subject and topic,
proposes operational criteria for subject and topic prominence, and
treats them as independent dimensions, thereby arriving at the
classification of English as subject-prominent and Mandarin as
topic-prominent. Chapter 11 extends this analysis to zero anaphora:
both languages permit the omission of contextually recoverable,
non-focal arguments, but Mandarin allows it more freely, whereas
English restricts it more often to particular constructions and
registers. Chapter 12 compares the lexical, prosodic, and
morphosyntactic expression of topic and focus, identifying shared
information-structural tendencies alongside differences in focus
marking and fronting. Chapter 13 returns to phrase structure and word
order, arguing that English displays a more uniform head-ordering
profile and that adjunct placement is strongly influenced by
constituent weight, whereas Mandarin alternates between head-initial
and head-final patterns in relation to argument realisation,
iconicity, and information structure. Chapter 14 brings these findings
together by returning to the importance of explicit definitions,
interactions among linguistic subsystems, and the differing degrees of
universality associated with proposed linguistic principles.
Taken together, the volume moves from phonological and orthographic
structure through lexical, morphological, and grammatical organisation
to syntax and discourse, seeking throughout to relate
language-specific contrasts to broader questions in linguistic
typology.
EVALUATION
“A Linguistic Comparison of Chinese and English” pursues two related
goals: to compare contemporary Standard Mandarin and Standard/General
American English systematically, and to use that comparison to examine
broader linguistic principles and typological claims. The volume can
therefore be assessed against the methodological principles
articulated in Chapter 1: explicit definition of analytical
categories, separation of linguistic form from meaning and function,
consistent application of comparative criteria, and explanation of
language-specific patterns from structural, functional, and systemic
perspectives.
The explicit formulation of this programme is one of the book’s
principal strengths. Li recognises that categories such as “word”,
“subject”, “topic”, “tense”, and “aspect” are understood differently
across theoretical traditions, and his sustained attention to
terminology gives the volume conceptual coherence despite its broad
coverage. Its pedagogical origins are also evident in the orderly
progression of the chapters, frequent summaries, and generally
accessible presentation. Rather than merely cataloguing differences,
the book repeatedly asks what makes the phenomena under comparison
genuinely comparable and which criteria justify a particular
classification. The implementation of this programme is nevertheless
uneven. The volume is most successful where comparison leads to a
reconsideration of the analytical categories themselves; elsewhere,
parallel description is not always matched by equally developed
structural, functional, or systemic explanation.
The discussion of wordhood in Chapter 6 illustrates the value of this
definition-based approach. Rather than equating wordhood with
orthographic spacing, Li draws on morphosyntactic evidence and claims
concerning speakers’ mental representation of lexical units. In
Mandarin, characters, syllables, morphemes, compounds, and words do
not map neatly onto the space-delimited units of English orthography.
Li’s argument that words have psychological reality in both languages
provides an explicit basis for comparison, while his prototype
definitions identify the same major word classes despite differences
in formal coding (p. 172). Nevertheless, evidence that certain
Mandarin expressions are stored and retrieved holistically may support
holistic lexical storage more directly than it establishes “word” as a
cross-linguistically viable category.
Chapters 7 and 9 provide further examples of both the value and the
limitations of definition-based comparison. Chapter 7 proposes a
relatively sharp distinction between numeral classifiers, which
classify discrete entities according to salient properties, and
measure words, which denote quantities of entities. This supports the
classification of Mandarin, but not English, as a numeral-classifier
language and relates the Mandarin system to cognitive, semantic, and
cultural factors (pp. 184–191). The analysis could, however, have
connected classifiers more systematically to number marking and
nominal interpretation, particularly the absence of obligatory plural
marking and the interpretation of bare nouns. Chapter 9 similarly
shows how conclusions depend on analytical premises. Li argues that
Mandarin is not wholly tenseless if grammatical tense includes
grammaticalised non-affixal devices, although it may still be
described as tenseless under a definition restricted to inflectional
marking. This clarifies the basis for characterising English as more
tense-prominent and Mandarin as more aspect-prominent (pp. 264–265),
although the conclusion remains framework-dependent.
Chapter 10 is among the strongest applications of the comparative
method established in the introduction. Li distinguishes subject and
topic as notions operating at different levels of linguistic analysis
and proposes explicit criteria for subject and topic prominence.
Particularly useful is his argument that the two forms of prominence
constitute distinct, potentially gradable continua rather than
opposite ends of a single scale. This framework supports the
classification of English as subject-prominent and Mandarin as
topic-prominent without implying that English lacks topics or Mandarin
lacks subjects (pp. 293–294). Chapters 11 and 12 extend this analysis
to zero anaphora and information structure. Both languages permit zero
forms, but Mandarin allows them in a wider range of contexts, whereas
English relies more heavily on overt pronouns and
construction-specific licensing (pp. 318–319). Topic and focus are
likewise shown to be expressed lexically, prosodically, and
morphosyntactically in both languages (pp. 345–347). These chapters
connect grammatical form with discourse function, although naturally
occurring discourse would provide a firmer basis for claims about zero
forms, topic continuity, focus marking, and fronting.
Chapter 13 extends the systemic perspective to phrase structure.
Rather than assigning each language a single head-ordering type, Li
distinguishes head–argument order from head–adjunct order. English is
presented as displaying a comparatively uniform head–argument pattern,
with adjunct placement influenced substantially by constituent weight,
whereas Mandarin alternates between head-initial and head-final
patterns according to argument realisation, iconicity, and information
structure (pp. 361–364). This shows that constituent order may be
conditioned by interacting factors, although some functional
explanations would benefit from corpus-based or psycholinguistic
evidence. In particular, the suggestions that “de” facilitates
processing and that certain postverbal orders iconically reflect the
unfolding of an event are plausible but not fully established by
structural examples alone.
The phonological and prosodic chapters illustrate a different balance
between accessibility and analytical depth. Chapters 3 and 4 offer a
clear comparison of phonemic inventories, tone and intonation,
syllable structure, and stress. The discussion of tone–intonation
interaction is particularly useful because it shows how pitch serves
different lexical and utterance-level functions in Mandarin and
English (pp. 53–56). The treatment of syllable structure likewise
places the greater phonotactic complexity of English within a broader
typological framework and uses evidence from both languages to assess
the Sonority Sequencing Principle and the Maximal Onset Principle (pp.
72–78). The analysis is less developed where prosodic interactions
require detailed phonetic explanation. Neutral tone, stress, prosodic
organisation, and the joint realisation of tonal and intonational
targets receive comparatively limited attention. Greater attention to
such variation would have helped distinguish categorical phonological
contrasts from gradient phonetic patterns.
Chapter 5 is similarly ambitious in extending comparison beyond formal
properties. Its contrast between the morphosyllabic Chinese script and
the alphabetic English system encompasses historical development,
cultural reach, learnability, efficiency, continuity, and
disambiguation. The rejection of teleological accounts that treat
alphabetic writing as inherently more advanced is well motivated and
consistent with the book’s resistance to evaluating one language
through categories derived from another. Some broader claims, however,
concerning long-term literacy acquisition, digital input efficiency,
the accessibility of earlier texts, and the cross-dialectal unifying
role of written Chinese require evidence beyond structural comparison.
They would be more convincing if descriptive observations were
distinguished more clearly from empirical generalisations about
literacy, processing, technology, and language policy.
The volume’s principal contribution lies less in advancing a single
overarching theory than in organising a wide range of comparisons
within a coherent structural, functional, and typological framework.
This synthesis is valuable for students, instructors, and researchers
entering Chinese–English contrastive linguistics, who can use the
volume as a broad reference work and advanced-level introductory text.
Readers seeking new empirical analyses of particular phenomena may
find individual treatments less substantial, since the scale of the
project necessarily limits the depth available to each domain.
This limitation also bears on the book’s aim of evaluating linguistic
universals. Evidence from either Mandarin or English may falsify an
absolute universal by providing a counterexample. By contrast, the
fact that both languages conform to a proposed pattern cannot
establish its universality; it can show only that they are compatible
with a generalisation requiring evidence from a much broader sample.
The volume frequently relates observations to proposed universals and
strong cross-linguistic tendencies, but it does not always distinguish
clearly between falsifying a universal, providing limited support for
a generalisation, and presenting evidence merely consistent with it.
Li’s preference for general patterns over isolated exceptions
contributes to the clarity of the presentation, but it also creates a
methodological tension. In areas such as word classification, zero
anaphora, prosody, and information structure, apparent exceptions may
reveal the contextual and distributional conditions under which a
generalisation holds. Greater use of corpus data could have helped
distinguish categorical contrasts from probabilistic tendencies and
variation associated with register, discourse context, and individual
speakers. The restriction to Standard Mandarin and Standard/General
American English is reasonable and clearly stated, but it limits
conclusions framed more broadly in terms of “Chinese” and “English”.
Applying the framework to other Sinitic varieties and varieties of
English would help determine which contrasts are robust across
varieties and which are specific to the selected standards.
Overall, “A Linguistic Comparison of Chinese and English” is a clearly
organised and pedagogically valuable contribution to Chinese–English
contrastive linguistics. Its strongest discussions demonstrate how
explicit definitions and operational criteria can challenge simplistic
oppositions between the two languages. The treatments of the notion of
the word, numeral classification, tense and aspect, and the
distinction between subject and topic are particularly effective in
showing how comparative conclusions depend on the categories and
criteria employed. The volume’s structural, functional, and
typological objectives are not realised equally across all chapters,
and its treatment of linguistic universals is more suggestive than
conclusive. Nevertheless, the book offers a substantial synthesis for
teaching and further research and provides a useful foundation for
corpus-based, variationist, cross-varietal, and broader
cross-linguistic work.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
The reviewer is a PhD candidate in Linguistics at Queen’s University
Belfast. Their research interests include sociophonetics, Chinese
dialectology, and sociolinguistic variation, with a particular focus
on erhua (rhotacisation) in Beijing Mandarin. Their doctoral research
examines how the use and phonetic realisation of erhua vary across
speakers, social groups, and speech contexts. These interests inform
their engagement with the volume’s treatment of phonological
variation, cross-linguistic comparison, and the relationship between
linguistic structure and language use.



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