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International Journal of Chinese Linguistics
Vol. 5:1 (2018) ► pp.59–93

The syntax and semantics of descriptive V-de constructions

A primary predication analysis

| City University of Hong Kong
This paper tackles the long-standing problem of the phrase structure of the descriptive V-de construction in Mandarin, and proposes a variant of the Primary Predication analysis. I argue that the suffix -de is a nominalizing head that turns the verb to which it attaches into a nominal event argument, which is in turn predicated over by the descriptive adjectival phrase, the primary predicate of the construction. This syntactic analysis allows for a straightforward explanation for the presupposition-focus semantics of this construction based on structured event quantification. In addition, it is shown that previous arguments that go against the Primary Predication hypothesis (including the distribution of the A-not-A form and negation, and the scope relation between an IP-level element and the adjectival phrase) either do not constitute counterevidence or are simply irrelevant. Further support for the proposal is provided that draws on a number of syntactic properties of the descriptive V-de construction and on the distinction between the descriptive adjectival phrase on the one hand and secondary predicates and adverbial adjuncts on the other hand.
Keywords: descriptive V-de construction, adjectival predication, secondary predication, nominalization, event semantics
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Previous diagnostics: A-not-A, negation, and scope
    • 2.1Distribution of the A-not-A form
    • 2.2Distribution of negation
    • 2.3Scope
  • 3.Proposal
    • 3.1Syntax: Nominalization and primary predication
    • 3.2Semantics: Structured event quantification
  • 4.Further arguments for the proposed analysis
    • 4.1APd ≠ secondary predicates
    • 4.2APd ≠ adverbial adjuncts
    • 4.3Syntactic evidence
  • 5.Concluding remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Abbreviations
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 10 August 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ijchl.17006.yu
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