On the scalarity of nu ‐V constructions in Taiwan Mandarin
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21398699 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yi-Hsun Chen (0000-0002-1442-2744, National Chengchi University), Yi‐Hsun Chen (National Chengchi University No. 64, Sec. 2, Zhinan Rd. Taipei Taiwan), Chao-Ting Tim Chou (0000-0002-5919-4650, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University 1001 University Rd. Hsinchu Taiwan, corresponding author), Po Ju Shen (National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University 1001 University Rd. Hsinchu Taiwan) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 29-61 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studia Linguistica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0039-3193 • E-ISSN: 1467-9582 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/stul.12244 |
| OpenAlex | W4400487482 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 16 |
This paper investigates three puzzles concerning scalar nu ‐V constructions in Taiwan Mandarin: (a) a scalar nu ‐V construction is incompatible with state/achievement verbs, irrespective of the presence of a quantity phrase; (b) when combined with activity verbs, the inclusion of a quantity phrase appears obligatory for scalar nu ‐V constructions in an out‐of‐the‐blue context; (c) under appropriate contextual support, bare nouns and demonstrative phrases can replace the typically obligatory quantity phrases to form a grammatical scalar nu ‐V construction with an activity verb. We argue that the solutions to these puzzles lie in three core meaning components of scalar nu ‐V constructions: (a) scalar presupposition; (b) association with focus; (c) volitional requirement. Specifically, we propose that (a) scalar nu is a scalar verbal modifier that forms a verbal compound with its following verb; (b) scalar nu introduces a scalar presupposition (based on the scalar associate) and the volitional requirement in scalar nu ‐V constructions. If our analysis is correct, it suggests that the scalarity of a construction may come from a verbal modifier (e.g., scalar nu ) in the formation of a compound verb, thereby enhancing our understanding of the compositionality of compound verbs in natural language
Linguistics · Physics · Presupposition · Pure mathematics · Scalar (mathematics) · Verb · Mathematics · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Philosophy · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
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| Highly cited | No |
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