Order and Constituency in Mandarin Chinese

232 Pages·1990·12.63 MB·English

by  Yen-Hui Audrey Li (auth.)

ORDER AND CONSTITUENCY IN MANDARIN CHINESE
Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory
VOLUME 19
Managing Editors
Joan Maling, Brandeis University
Luigi Rizzi, Universite de Geneve
Editorial Board
Guglielmo Cinque, University o/Venice
Jane Grimshaw, Brandeis University
Michael Kenstowicz, University o/Venice
Hilda Koopman, University 0/ California, Los Angeles
Howard Lasnik, University o/Connecticut
Alec Marantz, University o/North Carolina, Chapel Hill
John J. McCarthy, University 0/ Massachusetts, Amherst
James McCloskey, Cowell College, University o/California, Santa Cruz
YEN-HUI AUDREY LI
University of Southern Califor.nia, U.S.A.
ORDER AND
CONSTITUENCY IN
MANDARIN CHINESE
KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS
DORDRECHT / BOSTON / LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ll, Ven-hul Audrey, 1954-
Order and eonstltueney In Mandarln Chlnese / Yen-hul Audrey Ll.
p. em. -- (Studles In natural language and 11ngulstlc theory
19)
Includes blbllographleal references.
1. Chlnese language--Case gra ••a r. I. Tltle. II. Serles.
PL1231.5.L5 1990
495.1'5--de20 89-24421
ISBN-I3: 978-94-010-7347-9 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-1898-6
DO I: 10.1007/978-94-009-1898-6
Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Kluwer Academic Publishers incorporates the publishing programmes of
D. Reidel, Martinus Nijhoff, Dr W. Junk and MTP Press.
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Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved
© 1990 by Kluwer Academic Publishers
Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 1st edition 1990
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice
may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ix
Chapter 1: Universal Grammar and Word Order 1
Notes 14
Chapter 2: Dimensions of the Case Module
2.0. Introduction 16
2.1. Subject and Case 17
2.2. Case Assignees 24
2.2.1. Theoretical Issues 25
2.2.2. Nonsubcategorized NPs and the Case Filter 25
2.2.3. PPs and Clauses: Visibility 27
2.2.4. Thematic and Case Conflict 29
2.2.5. Summary 34
2.3. Conditions on Case Assignment 35
Notes 38
Chapter 3: Single Complementation
3.0. Introduction 41
3.1. Descriptive/Resultative Expressions 42
3.1.1. Properties of Descriptive/Resultative Expressions 43
3.1.1.1. Descriptive/Resultative Expressions as Predicates 44
3.1.1.2. Descriptive/ResuItative Expressions as Complements 46
3.1.2. Descriptive Expressions 48
3.1.3. Resultative Expressions 53
3.2. Post verbal PPs 59
3.3. Summary 62
Notes 63
Chapter 4: Multiple Complementation
4.0. Introduction 67
4.1. Double Object Structures [V NP2 NP11 68
4.1.1. Types of Double Object Structures [V NP2 NP11 in
Chinese 68
4.1.1.1. Goal Double Object Structures 68
4.1.1.2. Source Double Object Structures 70
4.1.2. Mechanism for Case Assignment in the Double Object
Structure 71
v
vi T ABLE OF CONTENTS
4.1.2.1. Inherent Case Marking 71
4.1.2.2. Structural Case Marking 73
4.1.3. Inherent Case Marking for [VNP2 NPl] in Chinese 75
4.1.4. Structural Case Marking for [V NP2 NPl] in Chinese 76
4.1.4.1. NP-Incorporation 77
4.1.4.2. Problems for NP-Incorporation 79
4.1.4.3. The Empty Category Principle 80
4.1.4.4. The Empty Category Principle for [V NP2 NP1] in
Chinese 84
4.1.4.5. Source Double Object Structures 88
4.2. [V NP S] Structures 95
4.3. [VNPI gei NP2] and [V gei NP2 NP1] 99
4.3.1. The Status of Gei 100
4.3.2. Word Order 105
4.3.3. A Problem: Subcategorization 109
4.4. Conclusion 110
4.5. Alternatives 110
Notes 114
Chapter 5: Lexical and Categorial Properties of Case
5.0. Introduction 117
5.1. Raising Structures 121
5.2. Exceptional Case Marking Structures 130
5.3. Existential/Presentative Sentences 134
5.3.1. Contrasts between English and Chinese 134
5.3.2. The Problem 136
5.3.3. Analysis 139
5.4. Weather Verbs 141
5.5. Expletive Empty Category 142
5.5.1. The Definiteness Effect 144
5.5.2. Case Assignment of Ergative Verbs 146
5.5.3. Implications 147
5.6. Conclusion 148
Notes 148
Chapter 6: Passive, BA, and Topic Constructions
6.0. Introduction 153
6.1. The BEl Construction 154
6.1.1. Syntactic Properties 157
6.1.2. Case and Theta-Role Assignment 164
6.1.3. The Passive Morpheme in Chinese 166
6.1.4. Case Assignment 171
6.1.5. Theta-Role Assignment 172
6.1.6. Obligatory NP-Movement 176
TABLE OF CONTENTS vii
6.1.7. Summary 181
6.2. The BA Construction 181
6.2.1. Properties 183
6.2.2. The Status of Ba 186
6.2.3. Analysis 190
6.2.3.1. Movement Analysis 191
6.2.3.2. Nonmovement Analysis 192
6.2.3.3. Theta-Role Assignment 193
6.2.3.4. Subcategorization 195
6.2.4. Conclusion 196
6.3. TopiC Structures 197
6.4. Conclusion 199
Notes 200
Chapter 7: Conclusion
7.1. Empirical Consequences 204
7.2. Theoretical Implications 207
Bibliography 209
Index of Names 215
Index of Subjects 217
PREFACE
Recent developments in generative grammar have been very stimulating.
The current theory defines a small set of principles that apply to all human
languages. Efforts have been made to demonstrate the adequacy of this
theory for a wide range of languages. We thus see an interesting interface
of theory and empirical data: the study of natural languages contributes to
defining the properties of Universal Grammar and the predictions of the
theory help in uncovering generalizations regarding natural languages.
This book aims to add to this exciting development by showing how the
analysis of Mandarin Chinese constituent structures helps to define Case
Theory and how interesting generalizations concerning Chinese grammar
are uncovered through verification of the theoretical predictions.
Starting from the inadequacy of work by Koopman, Li, and Travis on
the effect of Case directionality on word order, the book shows that a
detailed study of Chinese constituent structures allows us to reduce the
phrase structure component to a minimal statement concerning the
position of the head in a given phrase. It argues that in a given language
the constituent structures can be adequately captured by the interaction of
Case Theory, Theta Theory, Government Theory, and X Theory. Long
standing controversies concerning Chinese basic word order are resolved
by showing that underlying word order generalizations can differ from
surface word order generalizations. Moreover, interesting generalizations
are captured concerning the extraction of NPs from subject position, the
extraction of complements from single and multiple complement struc
tures, the distribution of NPs, PPs, and clauses, and the interpretation of
empty elements. Incorporating the notion of abstract Case into Chinese
grammar greatly simplifies and contributes to the characterization of the
grammar of Chinese.
The results of this work bear on the proper characterization of Case
Theory, specifically the characterization of Case assigners and assignees,
the status of the Case Filter, the visibility condition on Case assignment,
the Case and Thematic Resistance Principles, the role of Case in the
lexicon, and the relevance of Case in the determination of various
definiteness effects. Related issues investigated include the existence and
properties of expletive empty elements, the characterization of the notion
of government, and the Lexical Integrity Hypothesis. The study of abstract
Case in Mandarin Chinese thus contributes to the formulation of Universal
Grammar.
Of course, this work could never have been conceived and produced
ix
x PREFACE
without the support and guidance of many friends, colleagues, professors,
and conference audiences. The list of their names and the ways they have
helped is endless; I hope they will forgive me for failing to thank them
here individually.
I would, however, like to thank Jim Huang in particular for his
immense help and influence. Like so many other investigations, this one
was inspired by his work, and his influence will be obvious throughout.
Special thanks as well td-Osvaldo Jaeggli, who has always been
extremely supportive and inspiring and who has so painstakingly worked
through the details of this book for me.
I am also deeply indebted to Joseph Aoun. He has been extraordinarily
encouraging and helpful ever since I first sought his help, throughout the
writing of this work and beyond. His unfailing support and consistent
caring can never be repaid or overappreciated.
Publication of this book would not have been possible without the help
of Frank Heny, detailed advice from Joan Maling, and the beautiful
editorial work of Anne Mark.
Coexistence with Yu-chin and Gemmy Tsai makes all conditions
satisfied and the effort the least.
The language data in this work is based on the type of Mandarin
spoken in Taiwan. However, data from published works are used when
ever possible, as can be discerned from the references cited in the text.
Department of Linguistics YEN-HUI AUDREY LI
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-/693
U.S.A.
CHAPTER 1
UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR AND WORD ORDER
The ultimate goal of transformational generative grammar, from its incep
tion (Chomsky 1957, 1965) to the present Government-Binding (GB)
Theory (Chomsky 1981), has been to determine the structure of the
language faculty that enables human beings to learn language. The prin
ciples at work in this language faculty must be general enough to encom
pass the thousands of different languages accessible to human beings. At
the same time, it must be restrictive enough so that every human being can
acquire a native language in just a few years, based on impoverished input.
Therefore, the langauge faculty - that is, Universal Grammar - should
have as few language-specific or construction-specific rules as possible. It
should contain only general principles, making use of parameter settings to
account for possible variations. Complexities in different languages are not
due to complexities of different language- and construction-specific rules
but are the result of different interactions between parameters and prin
ciples of Universal Grammar.
Accordingly, a linguistic theory developed along these lines attempts to
formulate general principles that can explain the nature of language
specific or construction-specific rules. Such principles must be applicable
to all languages, allowing only parametric variations. This approach thus
takes all langauges to be fundamentally similar and holds that any differ
ences among them will be systematic. Under this view, the wide-ranging
variation in word order among human languages seems to present insur
mountable difficulties. It is rare to find two languages that have identical
constituent structures. Moreover, word order in different languages does
not vary systematically. Indeed, the traditional transformational mecha
nism for stating the constituent structures of particular languages high
lights this lack of systematicity. In this framework, constituent structures
are expressed by a list of rules of the following form:
(1) A B + C
-+
The rule schema in (1) has two functions: (i) to specify the constituents
contained in phrasal categories (B and C contained in A) and (ii) to
specify the ordering between the constituents (B precedes C in this case).
According to (1), languages may have rules like those in (2), rules like
those in (3), or a combination of the two:
(2) a. VP V+NP
-+
b. PP P+NP
-+
1