Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory

Transcription

1 THE MANDARIN VP

2 Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory VOLUME 44 Managing Editors Liliane Haegeman, University a/geneva Joan Maling, Brandeis University James McCloskey, University a/california, Santa Cruz Editorial Board Carol Georgopoulos, University 0/ Utah Guglielmo Cinque, University a/venice Jane Grimshaw, Rutgers University Michael Kenstowicz, Massachusetts Institute a/technology Hilda Koopman, University a/california, Los Angeles Howard Lasnik, University a/connecticut at Storrs Alec Marantz, Massachusetts Institute a/technology John J. McCarthy, University a/massachusetts, Amherst Ian Roberts, University a/wales, Bangor The titles published in this series are listed at the end of this volume.

3 RINT SYBESMA Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands THE MANDARIN VP... " Springer-Science+Business Media, B.v.

4 A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Printed on acid-free paper All Rights Reserved 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1999 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner

5 This book is dedicated to Reviewer B

6 T ABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments Chapter 1. The postverbal constraint Theoretical preliminaries Chapter 2. Resultatives 1. Background 1.1. Small clauses 1.2. Simpson's Law 1.3. The relation between the matrix verb and the result denoting small clause 2. Mandarin resultatives: non-iocatives 2.1. Inventory of the issues 2.2. The question of de The syntax Evidence A technical point Summary 2.3. The function of Extent Phrase 2.4. Summary of the preliminary results 2.5. Degree and result Two different structures after all What we abandon What we keep Two questions left 2.6. Summary of the definitive results 2.7. Closing off 3. Causatives and intransitives: the problem of the subject 3.1. Causatives 3.2. Intransitives and the nature of VP 4. Locative resultatives S. Simpson's Law and the ambiguity of riding tired 5.1. Simpson's Law challenged S.2. Lei as a two-place predicate Xl

7 viii T ABLE OF CONTENTS 5.3. What does it mean? Summary 58 Chapter 3. Verb-le The le and le problem Two les One le and discussion Concluding remarks Verb-le Introduction The distributional-syntactic problem 2.3. The interpretation part one: completion 2.4. Two verb-ies Basic analysis Other problems solved 2.5. The interpretation part two: realization 2.6. The interpretation part three: "freeze" 2.7. The interpretation part four: termination 3. Zhe 4. Conclusion 5. Final remark on resultatives Appendix. A very brief history of le Chapter 4. Two objects 1. The predicate 2. Double object construction 3. Prepositional dative construction 4. Other triadic possession cases 5. Conclusion Chapter 5. Duratives and frequentatives 1. The facts 2. On the sentence-final duratives 3. Problems and earlier proposals 4. The analysis 4.1. Classifiers and modifiers Massifiers and classifiers Analysis 4.2. Implications for the duratives V-Dur-Obj V-Dur-DE-Obj 4.3. Frequentatives 5. Duratives and frequentatives as indirect objects 6. Concluding remarks

8 T ABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 6. The ba-construction 1. The descriptive part Disposal 1.2. Postverbal constituent 1.3. The ba-np 1.4. Ba and topicalization 1.5. Summary 2. Analytical part 2.1. The ba-np in relation to the verbal complex Resultative, Prepositional dative, Dur/freq and Bare ba-sentences NP-resultative ba-sentences Inal.poss/part-whole ba-sentences A note on the Rest ba-sentences Conclusion and note on the thematic structure 2.2. The ba-np: movement or base-generation The empty category Idioms: Goodall vs. Huang 2.3. The position of ba Causative ba-sentences A brief note on NP-movement On the structural position of ba 2.4. Canonical ba-sentences Introduction The definiteness of the ba-np Affectedness Conclusion 2.5. Concluding remarks: causatives and accomplishments 3. Summary and conclusions Chapter 7. The prominence of structure 1. Syntactic dynamism 2. Theta theory 2.1. General remarks 2.2. The ba-construction and argument structure: appearances and disappearances 2.3. The point 2.4. More on the dynamism Transitivity shift Unaccusative shift "Directionality" shift Discussion 2.5. Towards an alternative ix

9 x T ABLE OF CONTENTS 3. The alternative: the prominence of structure 3.1. Concluding remarks Notes References Index

10 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book is an amalgamation of most of the work I have done on the syntax of Mandarin between 1988 and The first footnote of each chapter is a "bibliographical note", indicating what material has been incorporated in that chapter. I gratefully acknowledge the financial support I received during most of these years from the Dutch Organization of Scientific Research, NWO, in particular the NWO Foundation for Language, Speech and Logic. In addition, I received financial support from the Taiwan based Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange and the Leiden based International Institute for Asian Studies, which is equally gratefully acknowledged. I also thank the Department of General Linguistics and the Sinological Institute of Leiden University as well as the Holland Institute of Generative Linguistics, HIL, for their support and hospitality. More than anything else, however, I am thankful to all the colleagues and all the other people, in the Netherlands and abroad, who have contributed in one way or another to this book. I only mention two by name: Teun Hoekstra, who has been the great inspirator from the very beginning, and Lisa Cheng, who has the drive. xi