1887
Volume 51, Issue 2
  • ISSN 1810-7478
  • E-ISSN: 2589-5230
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Abstract

Abstract

Unlike earlier studies addressing rhetorical questions in which -arguments appear, this work investigates the restrictions imposed on the rhetorical use of Mandarin sentences containing the -adjunct, ‘what-time.’ Sometimes, sentences that contain this -phrase can be used as rhetorical questions carrying the refutatory force, while at other times they cannot. I propose to account for this phenomenon by examining the interaction between ‘what-time,’ modals and the sentence-final particle , arguing that sentences in which ‘what-time’ appears can be interpreted as rhetorical questions only when (a) is a -adverb adjoining to a maximal projection that denotes a change of state or expresses an inchoative reading, and (b) the -phrase is not deeply embedded within two bounding nodes. As long as these two conditions are satisfied, a rhetorical interpretation of a ‘what-time’ sentence can surface. This study not only helps us better understand the mechanism underlying both the interrogative and rhetorical uses of ‘what-time’ sentences, but also shows that syntax plays an important role in constructing rhetorical questions in Mandarin Chinese.

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2025-11-06
2025-12-06
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