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Volume 25, Issue 2
  • ISSN 1606-822X
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Abstract

Abstract

The exclusive expression ‘sole/only’ in Mandarin can appear preverbally in a relative clause (e.g., ‘the sole book I like’) but not in other types of clauses (e.g., *, intended: ‘I only like books’). This paper first justifies the claim that may not only function as an adjectival modifier but also appear preverbally inside a relative clause, and then demonstrates how is related to definiteness and takes scope out of a relative clause. It is proposed that preverbal is part of a DP which undergoes overt A’-movement in the process of relativization. The syntactic structure and semantic composition of a matching analysis are offered to show how a uniform account can be given across adjectival and relative . A major implication of this paper is that Mandarin does not possess a relative pronoun but allows a DP-internal focus expression to mark syntactic movement in relativization. A comparison between relative constructions involving and English -clefts is also discussed.

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2024-04-02
2024-09-16

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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): definiteness; exclusive focus; Mandarin; relative construction; syntactic movement

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