1887
Volume 19, Issue 2
  • ISSN 1606-822X
  • E-ISSN: 2309-5067

Abstract

Abstract

This paper argues that fragment question (FQ) in Mandarin Chinese is derived from topic movement and TP deletion, contributing to the growing body of evidence that sentence fragments are syntactically full clauses (Merchant 2004). Structurally, an FQ consists of a topic-like constituent followed by a particle , which functions as a topic marker and as a constituent question particle simultaneously. The fragment is argued to move to the SpecTopP rather than SpecFocP (Wei 2013), because FQ exhibits topic properties and respects island effects such as the complex NP island and the adjunct island. However, it is insensitive to islands such as the sentential subject island and left branch condition. We propose that the absence of island effect can be attributed to the pied-piping of the entire topic-like island to the SpecTopP. In addition, the proposed analysis not only captures the ineligible FQs caused by intervention effect within the passive structures but also the eligible FQs induced by preposition drop in the language.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/lali.00010.wei
2018-03-15
2025-04-28
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/lali.00010.wei.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1075/lali.00010.wei&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Abels, Klaus
    2011 Don’t repair that island! It ain’t broke. London: University College London. (Manuscript.)
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Baltin, Mark
    2007 Deletion versus Pro-forms: A false dichotomy?New York: New York University. (Manuscript.)
    [Google Scholar]
  3. 2012 Deletion versus pro-forms: An overly simple dichotomy?Natural Language & Linguistic Theory30(2). 381–423. doi:  10.1007/s11049‑011‑9157‑x
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11049-011-9157-x [Google Scholar]
  4. Barros, Matthew & Elliott, Patrick & Thoms, Gary
    2014 There is no island repair. Newark/ London/Edinburgh: Rutgers University, University College London and University of Edinburgh. (Manuscript.)
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Bianchi, Valentina & Frascarelli, Mara
    2010 Is topic a root phenomenon?Iberia: An International Journal of Theoretical Linguistics2(1). 43–88.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Bošković, Željko
    2005 On the locality of left branch extraction and the structure of NP. Studia Linguistica59(1). 1–45. doi:  10.1111/j.1467‑9582.2005.00118.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9582.2005.00118.x [Google Scholar]
  7. Chafe, Wallace
    1976 Givenness, contrastiveness, definiteness, subjects and topics, and point of view. In Li, Charles N. (ed.), Subject and topic, 25–55. New York: Academic Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Cheng, Lisa L. -S.
    1991On the typology of wh-questions. Cambridge: MIT. (Doctoral dissertation.)
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Chomsky, Noam
    1981Lectures on government and binding (Studies in Generative Grammar 9). Dordrecht: Foris.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. 2000 Minimalist inquiries: The framework. In Martin, Roger & Michaels, David & Uriagereka, Juan (eds.), Step by step: Essays on minimalist syntax in honor of Howard Lasnik, 89–155. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. 2001 Derivation by phase. In Kenstowicz, Michael (ed.), Ken Hale: A life in language, 1–52. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Culicover, Peter W. & Jackendoff, Ray
    2005Simpler syntax. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:  10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271092.001.0001
    https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271092.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  13. Feng, Shengli
    1997 Guanyue lilun yu Hanyu de beidongju [GB theory and passive sentences in Chinese]. Zhongguo Yuyanxue Luncong [Studies in Chinese Linguistics] 1997(1). 1–28.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Fox, Danny & Lasnik, Howard
    2003 Successive-cyclic movement and island repair: The difference between sluicing and VP-ellipsis. Linguistic Inquiry34(1). 143–154. doi:  10.1162/002438903763255959
    https://doi.org/10.1162/002438903763255959 [Google Scholar]
  15. Gasde, Horst-Dieter & Paul, Waltraud
    1996 Functional categories, topic prominence, and complex sentences in Mandarin Chinese. Linguistics34(2). 263–294. doi:  10.1515/ling.1996.34.2.263
    https://doi.org/10.1515/ling.1996.34.2.263 [Google Scholar]
  16. Gengel, Kirsten
    2013Pseudogapping and ellipsis. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:  10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199665303.001.0001
    https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199665303.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  17. Gergel, Remus & Gengel, Kirsten & Winkler, Susanne
    2007 Ellipsis and inversion: A feature-based focus account. In Schwabe, Kerstin & Winkler, Susanne (eds.), On information structure, meaning, and form: Generalizations across languages (Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 100), 301–322. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. doi:  10.1075/la.100.17ger
    https://doi.org/10.1075/la.100.17ger [Google Scholar]
  18. Hankamer, Jorge & Sag, Ivan
    1976 Deep and surface anaphora. Linguistic Inquiry7(3). 391–428.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Huang, C. -T. James
    1982Logical relations in Chinese and the theory of grammar. Cambridge: MIT. (Doctoral dissertation.)
    [Google Scholar]
  20. 1999 Chinese passives in comparative perspective. Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies29(4). 423–509.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Huang, C. -T. James & Li, Yen-Hui Audrey & Li, Yafei
    2009The syntax of Chinese. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:  10.1017/CBO9781139166935
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139166935 [Google Scholar]
  22. Kiss, Katalin É.
    1998 Identificational focus versus information focus. Language74(2). 245–273. doi:  10.1353/lan.1998.0211
    https://doi.org/10.1353/lan.1998.0211 [Google Scholar]
  23. Krifka, Manfred
    2006 Association with focus phrases. In Molnár, Valéria & Winkler, Susanne (eds.), The architecture of focus (Studies in Generative Grammar 82), 105–136. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. doi:  10.1515/9783110922011.105
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110922011.105 [Google Scholar]
  24. Lin, Tzong-Hong Jonah
    2009 Licensing ‘‘gapless’’ bei passives. Journal of East Asian Linguistics18(2). 167–177. doi:  10.1007/s10831‑009‑9039‑y
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10831-009-9039-y [Google Scholar]
  25. Lobeck, Anne
    1995Ellipsis: Functional heads, licensing, and identification. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Lu, Jianming
    1982 You “fei-yiwen xingshi + ne” zaocheng de yiwenju [Wh-question in the form of non-question-type with ne]. Zhongguo Yuwen [Studies of the Chinese Language] 1982(6). 435–438.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Merchant, Jason
    2001The syntax of silence: Sluicing, islands, and the theory of ellipsis (Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. 2004 Fragments and ellipsis. Linguistics and Philosophy271. 661–738. doi:  10.1007/s10988‑005‑7378‑3
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10988-005-7378-3 [Google Scholar]
  29. 2008 Variable island repair under ellipsis. In Johnson, Kyle (ed.), Topics in ellipsis, 132–153. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. 2010 Three kinds of ellipsis. 2010. In Recanati, François & Stojanovic, Isidora & Villanueva, Neftalí (eds.), Context-dependence, perspective, and relativity (Mouton Series in Pragmatics 6), 141–192. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Morgan, Jerry L.
    1973 Sentence fragments and the notion ‘sentence’. In Kachru, Braj & Lees, Robert & Malkiel, Yakov & Pietrangeli, Angelina & Saporta, Sol . (eds.), Issues in linguistics: Papers in honor of Henry and Renée Kahane, 719–751. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Nishigauchi, Taisuke
    1990Quantification in the theory of grammar. Dordrecht: Kluwer. doi:  10.1007/978‑94‑009‑1972‑3
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1972-3 [Google Scholar]
  33. Pan, Victor Junnan
    2011 ATB-topicalization in Mandarin Chinese: An intersective operator analysis. Linguistic Analysis37(1–2). 231–272.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Paul, Waltraud
    2002 Sentence-internal topics in Mandarin Chinese: The case of object preposing. Language and Linguistics3(4). 695–714.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. 2005 Low IP area and left periphery in Mandarin Chinese. Recherches linguistiques de Vincennes331. 111–134. doi:  10.4000/rlv.1303
    https://doi.org/10.4000/rlv.1303 [Google Scholar]
  36. 2015New perspectives on Chinese syntax (Trends in Linguistics, Studies and Monographs 271). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9783110338775
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110338775 [Google Scholar]
  37. Rizzi, Luigi
    1997 The fine structure of the left periphery. In Haegeman, Liliane (ed.), Elements of grammar, 281–337. Dordrecht: Kluwer. doi:  10.1007/978‑94‑011‑5420‑8_7
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5420-8_7 [Google Scholar]
  38. Ross, John Robert
    1969 Guess who?In Binnick, Robert I. & Davison, Alice & Green, Georgia M. & Morgan, Jerry L. (eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, April 18–19, 1969, 252–286. Chicago: Chicago Linguistic Society, University of Chicago.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Saito, Mamoru & Lin, T. -H. Jonah & Murasugi, Keiko
    2008 N′-ellipsis and the structure of noun phrases in Chinese and Japanese. Journal of East Asian Linguistics17(3). 247–271. doi:  10.1007/s10831‑008‑9026‑8
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10831-008-9026-8 [Google Scholar]
  40. Shao, Jingmin
    1996Xiandai Hanyu yiwenju yanjiu [A study of interrogative sentences in Modern Chinese]. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Shyu, Shu-ing
    1995The syntax of focus and topic in Mandarin Chinese. Los Angeles: University of Southern California. (Doctoral dissertation.)
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Simpson, Andrew
    2002 On the status of ‘modifying’ DE and the syntax of the Chinese DP. In Tang, Sze-Wing & Liu, Chen-Sheng Luther (eds.), On the formal way to Chinese languages, 74–101. Stanford: CSLI Publications.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Stjepanović, Sandra
    2012 Two cases of violation repair under sluicing. In Merchant, Jason & Simpson, Andrew (eds.), Sluicing: Cross-linguistic perspectives (Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics 38), 68–82. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:  10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199645763.003.0004
    https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199645763.003.0004 [Google Scholar]
  44. Szabolcsi, Anna
    1981 Compositionality in focus. Folia Linguistica15(1–2). 141–162.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Tang, Sze-Wing
    2010Xingshi Hanyu jufaxue [Formal Chinese syntax]. Shanghai: Shanghai Educational Publishing House.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Tang, Ting-chi
    1989Hanyu cifa jufa xuji [Studies on Chinese morphology and syntax II]. Taipei: Student Book Co., Ltd.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Ting, Jen
    1995A non-uniform analysis of the passive construction in Mandarin Chinese. Rochester: University of Rochester. (Doctoral dissertation.)
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Tsai, Wei-Tien Dylan
    2008 Left periphery and how-why alternations. Journal of East Asian Linguistics17(2). 83–115. doi:  10.1007/s10831‑008‑9021‑0
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10831-008-9021-0 [Google Scholar]
  49. van Craenenbroeck, Jeroen
    2004Ellipsis in Dutch dialects (LOT Dissertation Series 96). Utrecht: LOT.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Watanabe, Akira
    1992 Subjacency and S-structure movement of wh-in-situ. Journal of East Asian Linguistics1(3). 255–291. doi:  10.1007/BF00130554
    https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00130554 [Google Scholar]
  51. Wei, Ting-Chi
    2013 Fragment question and ellipsis in Chinese. Studies in Chinese Linguistics34(3). 151–198.
    [Google Scholar]
  52. 2016 Fragment answers in Mandarin Chinese. International Journal of Chinese Linguistics3(1). 100–131. 10.1075/ijchl.3.1.04wei
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ijchl.3.1.04wei [Google Scholar]
  53. Zhu, Dexi
    1982Yufa jiangyi [Lecture notes on grammar]. Beijing: The Commercial Press.
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/lali.00010.wei
Loading
  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): ellipsis; fragment; pied-piping; question; topic movement; topicalization
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error