Involvement of Discourse Factors in Distribution of Null Subjects in Mandarin Chinese

This paper aimed to examine the occurrence of null-subject phenomenon in Mandarin Chinese, a
discourse-oriented radical pro-drop language, and the factors that contribute to the presence/absence
of overt subject pronouns in the language. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 11 Chinese
high school students to collect data regarding the usage of null subjects by native Mandarin Chinese
speakers. Three discourse factors that affect the occurrence of null-subjecthood, namely (a) register,
(b) speakers’ agency, and (c) nature of information conveyed by subject pronouns, were identified
and analysed with respect to data collected. The paper also suggested greater emphasis be given to
pragmatic factors when formulating more refined theories regarding null-subject phenomenon in
future studies.