The Structure of Split Questions in Mandarin Chinese
This article proposes a pro analysis for split questions (SQs) in Chinese, dissimilar to the biclausal account employing focus movement and deletion in Arregi 2010 and the one employing the silent head in Kayne 2015 and Tang 2015. SQ consists of a wh-clause and a tag clause. We argue that the entire...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sciendo
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Studies in Chinese Linguistics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2478/scl-2020-0001 |
| _version_ | 1811331666086461440 |
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| author | Wei Ting-Chi |
| author_facet | Wei Ting-Chi |
| author_sort | Wei Ting-Chi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article proposes a pro analysis for split questions (SQs) in Chinese, dissimilar to the biclausal account employing focus movement and deletion in Arregi 2010 and the one employing the silent head in Kayne 2015 and Tang 2015. SQ consists of a wh-clause and a tag clause. We argue that the entire SQ is an information/confirmation-seeking question, represented by a Speech Act Phrase (SAP)-shell structure (Speas and Tenny 2003; Oguro 2017, etc.) with wh-clause in its specifier and the tag in its complement. The tag of Chinese SQ is a base-generated clause, [pro (copula) tag ma/ne], composed of an empty subject pro, an optional copula, a tag, and a final particle, instead of being derived from a fully-fledged structure parallel to the wh-part akin to those of English and Spanish SQs. Such a pro analysis overcomes difficulties encountered in the other accounts regarding the distribution of the final particles and their clause-typing, the optionality of the copula, the ubiquitous uses of tag, the connectivity effects, and the island-insensitivity. Analytically, two seeming variants of SQ imply that the derivation of an SQ depends on whether its tag moves and whether a copula exists. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:24:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a52ea2acedbe4858b89d6013b5252614 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1017-1274 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:24:07Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Studies in Chinese Linguistics |
| spelling | doaj.art-a52ea2acedbe4858b89d6013b52526142022-12-22T02:39:48ZengSciendoStudies in Chinese Linguistics1017-12742020-06-0141113210.2478/scl-2020-0001The Structure of Split Questions in Mandarin ChineseWei Ting-Chi0National Kaohsiung Normal UniversityThis article proposes a pro analysis for split questions (SQs) in Chinese, dissimilar to the biclausal account employing focus movement and deletion in Arregi 2010 and the one employing the silent head in Kayne 2015 and Tang 2015. SQ consists of a wh-clause and a tag clause. We argue that the entire SQ is an information/confirmation-seeking question, represented by a Speech Act Phrase (SAP)-shell structure (Speas and Tenny 2003; Oguro 2017, etc.) with wh-clause in its specifier and the tag in its complement. The tag of Chinese SQ is a base-generated clause, [pro (copula) tag ma/ne], composed of an empty subject pro, an optional copula, a tag, and a final particle, instead of being derived from a fully-fledged structure parallel to the wh-part akin to those of English and Spanish SQs. Such a pro analysis overcomes difficulties encountered in the other accounts regarding the distribution of the final particles and their clause-typing, the optionality of the copula, the ubiquitous uses of tag, the connectivity effects, and the island-insensitivity. Analytically, two seeming variants of SQ imply that the derivation of an SQ depends on whether its tag moves and whether a copula exists.https://doi.org/10.2478/scl-2020-0001deletionmovementspeech act phraseisland effectsconnectivity effects |
| spellingShingle | Wei Ting-Chi The Structure of Split Questions in Mandarin Chinese Studies in Chinese Linguistics deletion movement speech act phrase island effects connectivity effects |
| title | The Structure of Split Questions in Mandarin Chinese |
| title_full | The Structure of Split Questions in Mandarin Chinese |
| title_fullStr | The Structure of Split Questions in Mandarin Chinese |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Structure of Split Questions in Mandarin Chinese |
| title_short | The Structure of Split Questions in Mandarin Chinese |
| title_sort | structure of split questions in mandarin chinese |
| topic | deletion movement speech act phrase island effects connectivity effects |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2478/scl-2020-0001 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT weitingchi thestructureofsplitquestionsinmandarinchinese AT weitingchi structureofsplitquestionsinmandarinchinese |