The sole relative marker

Bibliographic Data

ID21756987
AuthorsXinjunrong Huang (Zhuhai Institute of Advanced Technology), Cheng-Yu Edwin Tsai (0000-0002-8277-3968, University of Macau)
Year2024
Volume25
Issue2
Pages318-350
Publication date2024-04-02
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage and Linguistics 語言暨語言學 (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1606-822X • E-ISSN: 2309-5067
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/lali.00156.tsa
OpenAlexW4391578935
LanguageEN
References cited22

The exclusive expression weiyi ‘sole/only’ in Mandarin can appear preverbally in a relative clause (e.g., wo weiyi xihuan de shu ‘the sole book I like’) but not in other types of clauses (e.g., * Wo weiyi xihuan shu , intended: ‘I only like books’). This paper first justifies the claim that weiyi may not only function as an adjectival modifier but also appear preverbally inside a relative clause, and then demonstrates how weiyi is related to definiteness and takes scope out of a relative clause. It is proposed that preverbal weiyi is part of a DP which undergoes overt A’-movement in the process of relativization. The syntactic structure and semantic composition of a matching analysis are offered to show how a uniform account can be given across adjectival and relative weiyi . A major implication of this paper is that Mandarin does not possess a relative pronoun but allows a DP-internal focus expression to mark syntactic movement in relativization. A comparison between relative constructions involving weiyi and English all -clefts is also discussed

Linguistics · Logic, Reasoning, and Knowledge · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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