Tue Trinh
Biographic Data
| ID | 1086086 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tue Trinh |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tue |
| FAMILY NAME | Trinh |
| SIGNATURE | TRINH T |
| AFFILIATIONS | Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6362-0974 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 10 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Partition by Exhaustification and Polar Questions in Vietnamese
This note presents a series of contrasts pertaining to Vietnamese polar questions: (i) The subject can be definite but not quantificational; (ii) the subject can be plain but not only-focused; (iii) the modal adverb chắc chắn ('certainly') can follow but not precede verum focus. I argue that a monoclausal analysis, advocated in several previous works, will have difficulties accounting for these contrasts and propose a bi-clausal analysis that exp…
On Similative Reduplication in Vietnamese
Vietnamese has a productive reduplication strategy where the reduplicant appears to the right of the base and is segmentally identical to the base except that its last rime is iếc (pronounced [ɪək]). In this note, I attempt to account for some observations about iếc, including the fact that it gives rise to ignorance inferences and is incompatible with classifiers. I propose that the semantics of iếc parallel the pragmatics of disjunctions and th…
Strengthened, and weakened, by belief
This paper discusses a set of observations, many of which are novel, concerning differences between the adjectival modals certain and possible and their adverbial counterparts certainly and possibly . It argues that the observations can be derived from a standard interpretation of certain / certainly as universal and possible / possibly as existential quantifiers over possible worlds, in conjunction with the hypothesis that the adjectives quantif…
Logicality and the picture theory of language
I argue that there is tension in Wittgenstein’s position on trivialities (i.e. tautologies and contradictions) in the Tractatus, as it contains the following claims: (A) sentences are pictures; (B) trivialties are not pictures; (C) trivialities are sentences. A and B follow from the “picture theory” of language which Wittgenstein proposes, while C contradicts it. I discuss a way to resolve this tension in light of Logicality, a hypothesis recentl…
Forms of address, performative prefixes, and the syntax-pragmatics interface
Forms of address must be pronominal in English but can be either pronominal or nominal in Vietnamese. I propose to analyze this fact as a parametric difference: the two languages choose different ways to implement one and the same general preference principle. This principle is Rule I, which favors binding over coreference. For English, Rule I compares bound and free expressions. For Vietnamese, Rule I compares bound and free pronouns. The analys…
Excursive questions
We present novel observations about types of questions which occur quite frequently in natural discourse but which have so far remained unanalyzed. These are questions about a question act. We then propose an account which derives the observations. Our account relies crucially on the assumption that speech acts are grammatically represented
Certainly but not certain: The expression of subjective and objective probability
This paper investigates the interpretation of the epistemic modal adjectives possible, certain and their adverbial counterparts possibly, certainly, taking the perspective that the former express objective modality, whereas the latter express subjective modality. In support of this view, we report on two experiments that assess speakers’ acceptance of possible, certain, possibly, certainly in different contexts. Our results extend those of Lassit…
Deriving four generalizations about nominals in three classifier languages
This squib presents a set of facts concerning nominal structures in Bahnar, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. It proposes an account of these facts which reduces them to cross-linguistic differences with respect to the availability of particular syntactic configurations involving the bare noun and its extended projection. These differences, in turn, are derived from cross-linguistic variations with respect to the availability of items in the functional l…
Zero and triviality
This paper takes issue with Bylinina & Nouwen’s (2018) hypothesis that the numeral zero has the basic weak meaning of ‘zero or more.’ We argue, on the basis of empirical observation and theoretical consideration, that this hypothesis implies that exhaustification can circumvent L-triviality, and that exhaustification cannot circumvent L-triviality. We also provide some experimental results to support our argument
The adaptation of Main to Vietnamese
This paper describes the revision of the Vietnamese version of the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (LITMUS-MAIN). We first introduce the Vietnamese language and Vietnamese-speaking populations after which we describe the translation and adaptation process of the Vietnamese MAIN and present results from monolingual and bilingual children
Keeping it simple
When is not not not
Constraining the derivation of alternatives
Edges and linearization: A reply
This is my reply to the commentaries on Trinh (2009). I thank the commentators – Enoch Aboh, Josef Bayer, Nigel Duffield, Roland Hinterhölzl, Anders Holmberg, Shinichiro Ishihara and Gereon Müller – for their helpful critiques, which point out several shortcomings of the target paper, opened up areas where new predictions can be made and raised questions to be investigated in future research. It is unfortunate that these critiques and this reply …
A constraint on copy deletion
One version of the copy theory of movement holds that syntactic traces are full-fledged constituents which undergo a PF-deletion rule. In this paper, I propose a constraint on this rule. The constraint says that the lower copy of a chain can be phonologically deleted only if it ends an XP. I show that this constraint, conjoined with proposals that have been made concerning phrase structure (Chomsky, Bare phrase structure, 1994) and the semantics …
Constraining the derivation of alternatives
Partition by Exhaustification and Polar Questions in Vietnamese
This note presents a series of contrasts pertaining to Vietnamese polar questions: (i) The subject can be definite but not quantificational; (ii) the subject can be plain but not only-focused; (iii) the modal adverb chắc chắn ('certainly') can follow but not precede verum focus. I argue that a monoclausal analysis, advocated in several previous works, will have difficulties accounting for these contrasts and propose a bi-clausal analysis that exp…
Forms of address, performative prefixes, and the syntax-pragmatics interface
Forms of address must be pronominal in English but can be either pronominal or nominal in Vietnamese. I propose to analyze this fact as a parametric difference: the two languages choose different ways to implement one and the same general preference principle. This principle is Rule I, which favors binding over coreference. For English, Rule I compares bound and free expressions. For Vietnamese, Rule I compares bound and free pronouns. The analys…
Keeping it simple
A constraint on copy deletion
One version of the copy theory of movement holds that syntactic traces are full-fledged constituents which undergo a PF-deletion rule. In this paper, I propose a constraint on this rule. The constraint says that the lower copy of a chain can be phonologically deleted only if it ends an XP. I show that this constraint, conjoined with proposals that have been made concerning phrase structure (Chomsky, Bare phrase structure, 1994) and the semantics …
Edges and linearization: A reply
This is my reply to the commentaries on Trinh (2009). I thank the commentators – Enoch Aboh, Josef Bayer, Nigel Duffield, Roland Hinterhölzl, Anders Holmberg, Shinichiro Ishihara and Gereon Müller – for their helpful critiques, which point out several shortcomings of the target paper, opened up areas where new predictions can be made and raised questions to be investigated in future research. It is unfortunate that these critiques and this reply …
Constraining the derivation of alternatives
When is not not not
Keeping it simple
Zero and triviality
This paper takes issue with Bylinina & Nouwen’s (2018) hypothesis that the numeral zero has the basic weak meaning of ‘zero or more.’ We argue, on the basis of empirical observation and theoretical consideration, that this hypothesis implies that exhaustification can circumvent L-triviality, and that exhaustification cannot circumvent L-triviality. We also provide some experimental results to support our argument
The adaptation of Main to Vietnamese
This paper describes the revision of the Vietnamese version of the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (LITMUS-MAIN). We first introduce the Vietnamese language and Vietnamese-speaking populations after which we describe the translation and adaptation process of the Vietnamese MAIN and present results from monolingual and bilingual children
Deriving four generalizations about nominals in three classifier languages
This squib presents a set of facts concerning nominal structures in Bahnar, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. It proposes an account of these facts which reduces them to cross-linguistic differences with respect to the availability of particular syntactic configurations involving the bare noun and its extended projection. These differences, in turn, are derived from cross-linguistic variations with respect to the availability of items in the functional l…
Certainly but not certain: The expression of subjective and objective probability
This paper investigates the interpretation of the epistemic modal adjectives possible, certain and their adverbial counterparts possibly, certainly, taking the perspective that the former express objective modality, whereas the latter express subjective modality. In support of this view, we report on two experiments that assess speakers’ acceptance of possible, certain, possibly, certainly in different contexts. Our results extend those of Lassit…
Excursive questions
We present novel observations about types of questions which occur quite frequently in natural discourse but which have so far remained unanalyzed. These are questions about a question act. We then propose an account which derives the observations. Our account relies crucially on the assumption that speech acts are grammatically represented
Strengthened, and weakened, by belief
This paper discusses a set of observations, many of which are novel, concerning differences between the adjectival modals certain and possible and their adverbial counterparts certainly and possibly . It argues that the observations can be derived from a standard interpretation of certain / certainly as universal and possible / possibly as existential quantifiers over possible worlds, in conjunction with the hypothesis that the adjectives quantif…
Logicality and the picture theory of language
I argue that there is tension in Wittgenstein’s position on trivialities (i.e. tautologies and contradictions) in the Tractatus, as it contains the following claims: (A) sentences are pictures; (B) trivialties are not pictures; (C) trivialities are sentences. A and B follow from the “picture theory” of language which Wittgenstein proposes, while C contradicts it. I discuss a way to resolve this tension in light of Logicality, a hypothesis recentl…
Forms of address, performative prefixes, and the syntax-pragmatics interface
Forms of address must be pronominal in English but can be either pronominal or nominal in Vietnamese. I propose to analyze this fact as a parametric difference: the two languages choose different ways to implement one and the same general preference principle. This principle is Rule I, which favors binding over coreference. For English, Rule I compares bound and free expressions. For Vietnamese, Rule I compares bound and free pronouns. The analys…
Partition by Exhaustification and Polar Questions in Vietnamese
This note presents a series of contrasts pertaining to Vietnamese polar questions: (i) The subject can be definite but not quantificational; (ii) the subject can be plain but not only-focused; (iii) the modal adverb chắc chắn ('certainly') can follow but not precede verum focus. I argue that a monoclausal analysis, advocated in several previous works, will have difficulties accounting for these contrasts and propose a bi-clausal analysis that exp…
On Similative Reduplication in Vietnamese
Vietnamese has a productive reduplication strategy where the reduplicant appears to the right of the base and is segmentally identical to the base except that its last rime is iếc (pronounced [ɪək]). In this note, I attempt to account for some observations about iếc, including the fact that it gives rise to ignorance inferences and is incompatible with classifiers. I propose that the semantics of iếc parallel the pragmatics of disjunctions and th…
Philosophy (14 works) · Linguistics (13 works) · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation (12 works) · Computer Science (11 works) · Epistemology (7 works) · Mathematics (5 works) · Artificial Intelligence (4 works) · Metaphysics (4 works) · Natural Language Processing Techniques (4 works) · Philosophy of language (4 works)