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Finiteness of Clauses and Raising of Arguments in Mandarin Chinese

Bibliographic Data

ID4238185
AuthorsTzong‐hong Jonah Lin (National Tsing Hua University, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume14
Issue1
Pages48-73
Publication date2011-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSyntax (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1368-0005 • E-ISSN: 1467-9612
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-9612.2010.00145.x
OpenAlexW1926191512
LanguageEN
Citations received29
References cited22

This paper argues that Mandarin Chinese clauses exhibit the finite/nonfinite contrast, and, based on this discovery, shows that the EPP is the driving force for A-movement. The evidence is the raising of arguments from the TP complements of different kinds of modals. It is argued that the epistemic modals in Mandarin Chinese take a finite TP complement, whereas the modal hui'will' and the root modals take a nonfinite TP complement. Though the epistemic modals take a finite TP complement, they nonetheless permit subject-to-subject raising. This phenomenon can be accounted for if we assume that the EPP drives A-movement, and agreement blocks it. Mandarin Chinese does not have grammatical features; as a consequence, the subject of a finite clause does not perform checking of grammatical features, and thus is free to raise. This phenomenon, therefore, is evidence against the checking-based theory of A-movement. If feature checking is involved in raising in Mandarin Chinese sentences, extra assumptions must be made, with a heavy burden of proof on the checking-based theory

Agreement · Complement (music · Epistemology · Linguistics · Mandarin Chinese · Modal · Modal verb · Phenomenon · Raising (metalworking · Subject (documents · Verb · Computer Science · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Mathematics · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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Unique citing works29
Citations per year1,71
Citation span2009 - 2026 (18)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 29
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