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Article published In:
International Journal of Chinese Linguistics
Vol. 7:2 (2020) ► pp.270–296

Aspectual particles and event types in TSM

| National Tsing Hua University

The paper investigates the syntactic behavior and semantic constraints of four types of aspectual particles (1) 夭 iau2 / 夭故 iau2koh4 ‘still’, (2) 已經 i2king1 ‘already’, (3) 夭未 iau2be7 ‘not…yet’, and (4) 毋 m7 /無 bo5 /勿 mai3 /免 bien2 故 koh4 ‘not…any more’ in Taiwanese Southern Min (TSM). In line with Löbner (1989) it examines the interaction between aspectual particles and event types. The four types of aspectual particles can be better captured in terms of the notion of two consecutive event types: event 1 (Ev1) and event 2 (Ev2) coupled with the value of existence and non-existence of a situation symbolized by [+] and [−]. Type 1 and 3 share the common element 夭 iau2 and Type 1 and 4, the common element 故 koh4 . Whereas not…yet and still in English show no lexical relationship, such a relationship is tangible in TSM and German, as in 夭未 iau2be7 still not ‘not…yet’ and 夭 iau2 ‘still’, on the one hand, and noch nicht still not ‘not…yet’ and noch ‘still’, on the other. Parametric variation matters in dealing with language universal. Like still in English, 夭 iau2 or its compound kin 夭故 iau2koh4 ‘still’ develops the non-aspectual additive and even concessive sense.

Keywords: aspectual particles, event types, additive, concessive, Taiwanese Southern Min
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.夭 iau2 ‘still’
    • 2.1Temporal use
      • 2.1.1 夭佇得 ti7 teh4
      • 2.1.2 夭 iau2 + 有 u7
      • 2.1.3 夭故 iau2 ku3
    • 2.2Additive function
    • 2.3Concessive function
  • 3. 夭未 iau2be7 ‘not yet’ vs 夭 iau2
  • 4. 已經 i2king1 ‘already’
  • 5.故 koh4
    • 5.1 故 koh4 as a temporal particle
    • 5.2 故再 koh4 tsai3
    • 5.3 又故/猶故 iu7koh4 (=又更) as a repetitive particle
    • 5.4又故 iu7koh4 as an additive particle
  • 6.Negation + 故 koh4
    • 6.1 毋故 m7 koh4 ‘not anymore’
    • 6.2 無故 bo5 koh4 (=無更M) ‘no longer’
    • 6.3 勿故 mai3 koh4 (=勿更) ‘don’t…longer’
    • 6.4 免故 bien2 koh4 (=免更) ‘need not…any longer’
    • 6.5 毋通故 m7 thang1 koh4 ‘may not…any longer’
  • 7.Closing words
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
Published online: 10 December 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijchl.19014.lie
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