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The access to the contents of this doctoral thesis it is limited to the acceptance of the use conditions set by the following Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/?lang=en On the interpretation of negation in Mandarin Chinese Feifei Li Ph.D. Dissertation Ph.D. program in Cognitive Science and Langauge Supervisor: M.Teresa Espinal Centre de Lingüística Teòrica Departament de Filologia Catalana Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres 2019 Table of contents Table of contents ........................................................................................................... i Abstract ........................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ............................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ............................................................................................................... x Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. xii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Negation ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Functions of negation ....................................................................................... 4 1.3. Negation typologies.......................................................................................... 8 1.3.1. Double Negation and Negative Concord languages ................................. 8 1.3.2. Macro vs. micro parametric division ...................................................... 13 1.3.3. Double Negation, Single Negation and Negative Concord readings ...... 15 1.3.4. Polarity-based vs. Truth-based languages............................................... 16 1.4. Multimodal negation ...................................................................................... 18 1.5. Negation in Mandarin Chinese ...................................................................... 20 1.5.1. Sentential negation markers .................................................................... 20 1.5.2. Argumental negative expressions ........................................................... 25 1.5.3. Negative Polarity Items........................................................................... 40 1.5.4. Adverbial negative expressions .............................................................. 44 1.5.5. Other negative expressions ..................................................................... 46 1.5.6. Double negation in Mandarin Chinese ................................................... 47 1.6. Brief sociolinguistic overview of MC and other languages and .................... 51 dialects spoken in China ................................................................................ 51 1.7. Outline of this dissertation ............................................................................. 53 2. Multiple negative expressions in Mandarin Chinese ....................................... 56 2.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 56 2.2. Shifts in meaning, both in NC and DN languages ......................................... 58 2.2.1. DN readings in NC languages................................................................. 59 2.2.2. Single negation readings in DN languages ............................................. 63 2.3. Licensing a single negation reading in Mandarin Chinese ............................ 67 2.4. Research questions ......................................................................................... 71 i 2.5. Experiment 1 .................................................................................................. 75 2.5.1. Methods................................................................................................... 75 2.5.2. Participants .............................................................................................. 75 2.5.3. Materials ................................................................................................. 76 2.5.4. Procedure ................................................................................................ 78 2.5.5. Results ..................................................................................................... 79 2.6. Experiment 2 .................................................................................................. 82 2.6.1. Methods ................................................................................................... 83 2.6.2. Participants .............................................................................................. 83 2.6.3. Materials .................................................................................................. 84 2.6.4. Procedure ................................................................................................. 85 2.6.5. Results ..................................................................................................... 86 2.6.6. Discussion ................................................................................................ 91 2.7. Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 98 3. The interpretation of fragment argumental negative expressions as answers to negative questions in Mandarin Chinese ..................................... 100 3.1. Introduction .................................................................................................. 100 3.2. Background .................................................................................................. 102 3.3. Fragment answers to negative wh- questions in Mandarin Chinese ............ 106 3.4. Interpretation of fragment n-words/negative indefinites as answers to negative questions: DN interpretation in NC languages and SN interpretation in DN languages ............................... 110 3.5. Single negation interpretation of fragment negative answers in Mandarin Chinese: cases with dōu ‘even’ ................................................................... 112 3.6. Experimental studies on Mandarin Chinese ................................................. 120 3.7. Experiment 1: audio production ................................................................... 122 3.7.1. Methods ................................................................................................. 122 3.7.2. Participants ............................................................................................ 122 3.7.3. Materials ................................................................................................ 123 3.7.4. Procedure ............................................................................................... 126 3.7.5. Results ................................................................................................... 128 3.8. Experiment 2: video production ................................................................... 134 3.8.1. Methods ................................................................................................. 134 3.8.2. Participants ............................................................................................ 134 3.8.3. Materials ................................................................................................ 135 3.8.4. Procedure ............................................................................................... 135 3.8.5. Results ................................................................................................... 136 ii 3.9. Experiment 3: audio perception ................................................................... 138 3.9.1. A pilot experiment ................................................................................. 139 3.9.1.1. Methods................................................................................. 139 3.9.1.2. Participants ............................................................................ 139 3.9.1.3. Materials ............................................................................... 139 3.9.1.4. Procedure .............................................................................. 141 3.9.1.5. Results ................................................................................... 141 3.9.2. An audio perception experiment............................................................ 145 3.9.2.1. Methods................................................................................. 145 3.9.2.2. Participants ............................................................................ 145 3.9.2.3. Materials ............................................................................... 146 3.9.2.4.