Chapter published in:
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. 431–444

On the syntax of mirativity

Evidence from Mandarin Chinese

| National Tsing Hua University
| National Chung Hsing University
This chapter proposes a unified analysis of Mandarin miratives in terms of their syntax and pragmatics. We examine the rather curious behavior of sentential adverbs such as yuanlai ‘turn out’ and zenme ‘how come’ in conjunction with the sentence final particle a. Specifically, the construals in question encode unexpectedness from the viewpoint of the speaker, as observed in other languages with overt morphology. It is argued extensively that the mirativity involved is syntactically represented by a functional projection in the left periphery, i.e., Speech Act Phrase. The evidence is drawn from the sentence-initial position of yuanlai and zenme, as well as their distribution in relation to evaluative adverbs and their exclusion from certain embedded clauses. Furthermore, the compatibility between Mandarin mirative expressions and indicative/interrogative mood presents a strong case for the separation of Force and Mood in cartographic terms.
Article outline
  • 1.Setting the stage
  • 2.Mirativity as a distinctive category
  • 3.The syntax of speech act and mirativity
  • 4.Further issues
  • 5.Concluding remarks
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 13 April 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.272.15tsa
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