International Journal of Chinese Linguistics - Volume 5, Issue 2, 2018

Abstract

This paper proposes a reconciliation of two opposite perspectives on a syntactic configuration and its associated semantic interpretation. Of these two, one is the view that a syntactic structure maps onto its semantic structure on a strict compositionality condition, and one is the view that a syntactic construction is not strictly compositional but has an inherent, endowed meaning, not compositionally derived. The proposed resolution attempts to settle the disagreement by differentiating an endowed-meaning construction into a compatible compositional-meaning structure, which in reverse is integrated into the original construction. As a result, structure and construction emerge as two sides of the same coin, and the disagreement is resolved.

Abstract

This article discusses the syntax and semantics of the DS comparative in Chinese, which is an adjectival comparative in which the sequence gèng duō ‘even-more much’ occurs as the degree búyǔ complement clause of the matrix adjective. The element duō ‘much’ is a quantity-adjective that interacts with gèng ‘even-more’ to introduce an additional standard of comparison into the DS comparative in order to make the comparison denoted by the degree búyǔ complement clause possible.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the empty categories which may exist inside the Chinese DP domain. The primary discussion concerns an empty category which results from the deletion of NP. This paper introduces a novel observation that equation sentences with a “Modifier- Empty-NP” object can only result from ellipsis, and cannot be a base-generated pro-Form in Mandarin Chinese. I further show that the rich array of functional elements and modifications in the internal structure of the Chinese DP can aid linguists in ascertaining the domain over which deletion happens.

Abstract

This paper aims to develop the empirical and theoretical basis for the necessity of motivating a cartographic approach (Rizzi 1997; Cinque 1999) to the clausal structure of nonsententials (NSs) in Mandarin. Especially noteworthy about NSs is that they are able to encode clause type information, illocutionary force and the discourse roles speaker and hearer/addressee, though their structure is considerably reduced. Following the line of reasoning in Sigurðsson & Maling (2012) and Tsai (2015a, 2015b), I show that NSs have a fully-fledged CP structure, according to the effects exerted upon their interpretation. Adopting Haegeman’s (2014) sa*P analysis of the discourse particle in West Flemish, I argue that NSs contain a suprasentential structure, a Speech Act layer, dominating ForceP and responsible for the encoding of the speaker- hearer/addressee relation sensitive to the immediate context. Crucially, it is argued that the discourse properties surrounding NSs pertain to the articulated CP structure of NSs. The major consequence of the proposed analysis is to show that the theory of discourse is closely tied to the architecture of grammar in general, adding weight to the view that the transparent syntax-discourse mapping results from a set of functional projections layered in the CP periphery.

抽象

本文将“把”字句中可出现的双音节动词按其构词形式的不同分为六类，并从音高、音长和音强三方面进行定量分析。结果表明，六组双音节动词“把”字句的韵律分布模式均是在动词处出现调域的最大值、音长的延长和音强的增幅，这说明“把”字句的焦点在动词上，“把”字句通过句法操作和语音韵律操作来凸显处置义。

This article reviews The bilingual mind and what it tells us about language and thought9780521716567