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Analysis of Complex Predicates in Mandarin Chinese

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Analysis of Complex Predicates in Mandarin Chinese Analysis of Complex Predicates in Mandarin Chinese Anthony Chi-Pin Hsu ORCID: 0000-0003-4313-6605 Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Languages and Linguistics Faculty of Arts THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE March 2019 Abstract This project examines complex predicates in Mandarin, which is a language abundant in complex predicates. The approach of syntactic and semantic analyses in this study is based on the Simpler Syntax model developed by Culicover and Jackendoff (2005), which incorporates the LCS (Lexical Conceptual Structure) approach of Jackendoff (1990), with some minor adjustments to account for my analysis of eventuality structure. This study is also supplemented by approaches taken from other previous studies as necessary. This study proposes a two-dimensional classification for Mandarin complex predicates. Complex predicates in this study are classified as monoclausal or polyclausal in the syntactic dimension and as resultatives, depictives, directionals, etc. in the semantic dimension. Monoclausal resultatives and polyclausal serial verb constructions with bleached verbs are given particular focus in the thesis and discussed in detail. Naturally occurring sentences show that some monoclausal resultatives can take imperfective aspect categories. I suggest two sources for the compatibility between these resultatives and the imperfective aspect categories: (a) iterative readings and (b) focus on the process portions of resultatives. A questionnaire undertaken with native speakers shows that compatibility between resultatives and the Progressive Aspect may also be influenced by polarity. The verb na, which has a full verb meaning of ‘take’ with the hand as the default body part, can be used as a bleached verb and employed as an instrument marker in polyclausal serial verb constructions. A corpus of mouth and foot painting artists-related articles are collected for the analysis of na, where the executive body part is not the hand. The analysis of sentences in the corpus shows that the distinction between full and bleached verbs is not categorical and that verb bleaching can be influenced by pragmatic factors such as context. i Declaration I declare that: a. This thesis comprises only my original work towards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy; b. Due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used; c. Full ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed; d. The thesis is fewer than 100,000 words in length exclusive of tables, figures, maps, foreign language examples, references and appendices. Anthony Chi-Pin Hsu ii Acknowledgements Working on this project has been a long yet rewarding process. I would like to thank my supervisor, Brett Baker, my co-supervisors, Jean Mulder and Lesley Stirling, and my committee chair, Rachel Nordlinger, for generously sharing their extensive knowledge and for the invaluable suggestions, guidance, and support I have received during this project. I am especially grateful to Brett for his mentorship throughout my study at the University of Melbourne. His kindly assistance helped me, a student from Taiwan, have a much smoother life. I would like to thank Peter Hurst for his guidance and support during my first teaching experiences, Tina Pentland for editorial assistance, and Rikke Bundgaard-Nielsen, Pascal Ponasse, Deike Lautenschläger, the Chinese Institute of European Languages (CIEL) in Taipei, Taiwan, and all the participants for their help with the survey discussed in this project. I would like to thank my family. I would also like to thank everyone who has helped me. Without you I could not have done it. iii iv Table of Contents Abstract i Declaration ii Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents v List of Figures ix List of Tables xi Abbreviations xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Previous Studies and Comments 8 1.2.1 Review and Comments on Previous Studies 9 1.2.1.1 Non-Mandarin-Oriented Studies 9 1.2.1.2 Mandarin-Oriented Studies 19 1.2.2 Definition of Complex Predicate as the Subject of this Study 29 1.2.3 Mismatch between Clauses and Eventualities 31 1.2.4 Classification 37 1.2.5 Interactions between Aspect and Monoclausal Resultatives 37 1.2.6 Syntactic-Semantic-Pragmatic Interactions in Polyclausal Serial Verb Constructions 39 1.3 Summary 40 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS 42 2.1 Introduction 42 2.2 Eventuality Structure Templates 42 2.3 Lexical Conceptual Structure 46 2.4 Conjunctive Function 48 2.5 Simpler Syntax 53 2.6 The Two-Component Two-Level Model 57 2.6.1 Introduction 57 2.6.2 Aktionsarten and Aspect Features 62 2.6.3 Sentential Level 74 2.6.4 Aspect 87 2.6.4.1 Categories of Perfective Aspect 88 v 2.6.4.2 Imperfective Aspect 112 2.6.4.3 Zero Aspect Marking 125 2.7 Summary 133 CHAPTER 3: MONOCLAUSAL COMPLEX PREDICATES 135 3.1 Introduction 135 3.2 Monoclausal Complex Predicates in Mandarin 135 3.2.1 Depictives 135 3.2.2 Excessives 137 3.2.3 Aspectuals 139 3.2.4 Directionals 146 3.2.5 Resultatives 146 3.2.5.1 Syntactic and Semantic Structure of Monoclausal RVCs 146 3.2.5.2 Interactions Between RVCs and Categories of Imperfective Aspect 158 3.2.5.3 Sources of the Compatibility Between RVCs and the Progressive Aspect180 3.2.5.4 Survey 191 3.3 Summary 208 CHAPTER 4: POLYCLAUSAL COMPLEX PREDICATES 209 4.1 Polyclausality 209 4.2 Polyclausal Depictive Complex Predicates 211 4.3 Monoclausal and Polyclausal Directional Complex Predicates 213 4.4 Modificational Complex Predicates 215 4.5 Parallel Complex Predicates 218 4.6 Successive Complex Predicates 220 4.7 De-Construction and Polyclausal Resultatives 221 4.8 Bleached Serialized Complex Predicates 225 4.8.1 Introduction 225 4.8.2 Thematic Roles in Bleached Serialized Complex Predicates 230 4.8.3 Enlargement of the Thematic Role Repertoire 233 4.8.4 Summary 234 4.9 Meaning Alternations in Serialized Complex Predicates 235 4.9.1 Pragmatic Application of Simpler Syntax 236 4.9.1.1 Bare Argument Ellipsis (BAE) 236 4.9.1.2 Coercion 240 4.9.1.3 Metonymy 243 4.9.2 Propositional Meanings and Pragmatic Polysemies 244 4.9.2.1 Introduction 244 vi 4.9.2.2 The Coexistence of Propositional Meanings and Pragmatic Polysemies 245 4.10 Multiple Interpretations with Negative Particles 263 4.11 Adverbs 266 4.12 Summary 268 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 270 5.1 Conclusion 270 5.2 Some Words on the Classification of Complex Predicates 275 APPENDIX 278 6.1 The Survey 278 6.2 The Test Sentences 279 REFERENCES 290 vii viii List of Figures Figure 1.1 Ungrammatical mapping between the grammatical functions and argument structure of na lai in (1.60). 23 Figure 2.1 A diagrammed LCS. 47 Figure 2.2 Diagrammed LCS of (2.22). 48 Figure 2.3 Subeventualities with an unknown conjunctive function. 49 Figure 2.4 Subeventualities with conjunctive function CAUSE. 51 Figure 2.5 Subeventualities with conjunctive function WHILE. 51 Figure 2.6 Analysis of ‘John ate a sandwich’ (2.48) in Simpler Syntax. 57 Figure 2.7 A semelfactive of a single occurrence. 66 Figure 2.8 A semelfactive with an iterative reading. 66 Figure 2.9 Nucleus, core, and clause in the model of Xiao and McEnery (2004). 75 Figure 2.10 ts, te, and tr in (2.158). 89 Figure 2.11 ts, te, and tr in (2.160). 92 Figure 2.12 t1 and t2 in the Continuative Aspect. 124 Figure 3.1 Analysis of ‘They start to shoot that film’ (3.52) in Simpler Syntax. 145 Figure 3.2 Diagrammed nominal reference and temporal constitution in Krifka (1989a). 171 Figure 3.3 An example of overlapping subeventualities. 177 Figure 3.4 An example of separate subeventualities. 177 Figure 3.5 Diagrammed overlapping subeventualities. 178 Figure 3.6 Diagrammed separate subeventualities. 179 Figure 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10 Four scenarios of genie(s) conjuring up three hundred houses. 184 Figure 3.11, 3.12, 3.13 Diagrammed scenarios of Figures 3.7, 3.8, and 3.9. 186 Figure 3.14 A screenshot of a test item in the survey. 196 ix Figure 3.15 Scores of test predicates in test contexts. 197 Figure 4.1 Syntactic structure of (4.9) in Foley (2010). 211 Figure 4.2 Syntactic structure of (4.6). 211 Figure 4.3 Analysis of (4.11) in Simpler Syntax. 213 Figure 4.4 Analysis of (4.26) according to Li and Thompson (1981). 215 Figure 4.5 Analysis of (4.28) according to Li and Thompson (1981). 216 Figure 4.6 Syntactic structure of (4.86). 229 Figure 4.7 Production of (4.106). 237 Figure 4.8 Interpretation of (4.106). 237 x List of Tables Table 2.1 Aspect features of Aktionsarten 62 Table 3.1 Test RVCs and Contexts 195 Table 3.2 The overall effects of the independent variables (Predicate and Context) and their interaction (Predicate*Context) 198 Table 3.3 Post-hoc test for predicates 199 Table 3.4 Post hoc test for context 200 Table 3.5 t test for positive and negative contexts 200 Table 3.6 t test for predicate A in positive and negative contexts 201 Table 3.7 t test for predicate B in positive and negative contexts 202 Table 3.8 t test for predicate C in the positive context and the ‘couldn’t’ context 202 Table 3.9 t test for predicate B in positive and negative contexts 203 Table 3.10 Positive-friendly, negative-friendly, and polarity-neutral groups 204 Table 3.11 One-way ANOVA of different predicates in positive contexts 205 Table 3.12 Classification of the five test predicates according to Xiao and McEnery (2004) 206 Table 6.1 Combinations of test RVCs and contexts 267 xi xii Abbreviations ACTL Actual Aspect marker ASSOC associative CL classifier CONT Continuative Aspect marker COS change of state CSC complex state construction DUR Durative Aspect marker EXP Experiential Aspect marker GEN genitive/possessive INC Inceptive Aspect marker LA particle la NEG negation NOM nominalization NUM numeral PROG Progressive Aspect marker SA solicit agreement xiii Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction This project examines complex predicates in Mandarin.
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