The Structure of Chinese Compounds: The Perspective of Predicative Implicitness

This paper examines Chinese nominal compounds with respect to their internal structure, thematic relations, generation process, and constraint mechanism from the perspective of predicate implicitness. Findings reveal that constituent functions in these compounds vary based on their structural posit...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Yongzhong Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) 2024-01-01
Series:Acta Linguistica Asiatica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uni-lj.si/ala/article/view/17105
Description
Summary:This paper examines Chinese nominal compounds with respect to their internal structure, thematic relations, generation process, and constraint mechanism from the perspective of predicate implicitness. Findings reveal that constituent functions in these compounds vary based on their structural positions, closely aligning morphological and syntactic structures. Predicate implicitness necessitates hierarchical adjunction, disallowing cross-layered adjunction. Corresponding relations exist between theta-roles, semantic relations, syntactic, and morphological structures. The study delineates differences between agentive and non-agentive compounds and explores how syntactic structure influences morphological structure. It also delves into theta-roles, argument structure, and linear order, arguing that constituent word order adheres to the Prominence and Locality Principles, dictated by their syntactic hierarchy positions.
ISSN:2232-3317