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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. 395–428

On the syntax of incompleteness

Evidence from the converbal construction in Cantonese

| Department of Chinese Language and LiteratureThe Chinese University of Hong Kong

Cantonese has a rich repertoire of verbal suffixes. One type of verbal suffixes should be analyzed as inflectional morphemes that form a converbal construction, a “defective” TP with minimal functional projections within TP and no CP and beyond. Given that it cannot stand alone and cannot occur in Case positions, it is argued that the converbal construction is used as an adverbial, which is neither nominal (a gerund) nor adjectival (a participle). Syntactically the converbal construction is analyzed as an adjunct and functionally it is regarded as a conjunctional converb on a par with an adverbial subordinate, deriving the incompleteness effects.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Cantonese verbal suffixes
  • 2.Three types of verbal suffixes
    • 2.1Type 1 verbal suffixes
    • 2.2Type 2 verbal suffixes
    • 2.3Type 3 verbal suffixes
    • 2.4A summary
  • 3.Syntax of marginality and incompleteness
    • 3.1Marginality: Type 2 verbal suffixes
    • 3.2Incompleteness: Type 3 verbal suffixes
  • 4.Converbal properties of type 3 verbal suffixes
    • 4.1Present participles and gerunds
    • 4.2Converbs
  • 5.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 13 April 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.272.14tan
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