1887
Volume 23, Issue 4
  • ISSN 1606-822X
  • E-ISSN: 2309-5067

Abstract

Abstract

This paper studies the “one+verbal classifier” sequence that appears after an indefinite object complement in Taiwanese Southern Min. We call it the post-complement (PC) . While the sequence can be a durative phrase when it is immediately preceded by a verb, the PC cannot be replaced by the durative phrase ‘a while’ ( plus the diminutive suffix ) or other durative phrases. We show that the PC is a sentence-final particle, not a durative phrase serving as a predicate or complement. Moreover, it marks delimitativity, which means ‘termination in a short time.’ It is the same kind of delimitativity that verb reduplication in Mandarin Chinese expresses despite the fact that the latter targets on the verb and is more selective in terms of the verb types that it can occur with. Moreover, the PC carries the ‘down-play’ meaning. Syntactically, we suggest that it heads an AspP, which occurs above a P.

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2022-09-12
2025-02-12
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