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Part of
New Explorations in Chinese Theoretical Syntax: Studies in honor of Yen-Hui Audrey Li
Edited by Andrew Simpson
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 272] 2022
► pp. 193–216

Negative modals and prohibitives in Taiwanese Southern Min

| Academia Sinica
| Ming Chuan University

The paper discusses two types of negative modal particles found in prohibitives in Taiwanese Southern Min (TSM) – m-modals and b-modals. What distinguishes the two types of modals, we argue, is whether they are used in a descriptive or a directive/performative way. The m-modals are always used in a directive way, meaning that they represent prohibition issued by the (reported) speaker. The b-modals, on the other hand, are used in a descriptive way, where the speaker simply reports a prohibition from an external source. The finding supports the modalized theory of imperatives. Syntactically, we argue that the m-modal particle is best analyzed as a modal complementizer that manifests a logophoric control relation.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.M-modals and b-modals
    • 2.1Basic data
    • 2.2Distinctions between m-modals and b-modals
  • 3.M-modals and control
    • 3.1Directive modals as complementizer
    • 3.2Logophoric PRO and directive modal complementizer
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgement
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 13 April 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.272.07lia
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