Abstract
It has been observed that there is a complementary distribution between simple adjectives (SAs) and complex adjectives (CAs) in Chinese in both the adnominal and predicate positions (Huang, 1997, Some remarks on adjectives in Mandarin Chinese. Paper delivered at the International Association of Chinese Linguistics-6 (IACL-6), Leiden, June 19–21, 1997, The Netherlands; Shen, 1997, Zhongguo Yuwen, 259, 242–250; Zhu, 1956, Xiandai Hanyu Xingrongci Yanjiu [Studies of adjectives in modern Chinese]. Yuyan Yanjiu 1. Also published in Zhu Dexi (1980) Xiandai Hanyu Yufa Yanjiu [Grammatical studies of modern Chinese], pp. 3–41). This article makes two major claims: (a) there are two subgroups of CAs, and while one is in total complementary distribution with SAs; the other is in partial complementary distribution with SAs; And (b) the total/ partial complementary distribution noted in (a) can be explained by a property- theoretic conjunction/intersection analysis of modification structures which ensures not only type matching but also sortal matching between the modifier and modifiee. Evidence from dialectal studies (Zhu, 1993, Fangyan, 2, 81–100) is provided as strong support for this hypothesis.
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Early versions of this article were presented at IACL-6, Leiden, 1997, at IACL10-NACCL13 at University of California at Irvine in 2001, and at Maribel Romero’s semantics seminar at the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. I thank the audiences for their comments and encouragements, and I thank Professor Romero for giving me the opportunity for research and for directing me to some important references. I am particularly grateful to Wynn Chao for discussing some of the issues with me and to Jo-wang Lin, Jie Xu, and Niina Zhang for their encouragement and interest in this work in its early phase of development. One member of the Philadelphia Semantics Society, Muffy Siegel, since 2001 has been the most important and regular discussant with me on almost all of the issues studied in this work. She has read several drafts in their entirety, providing detailed comments on content as well as style. Those discussions and comments have helped me tremendously in terms of both theory development and data analysis. I also benefited greatly during my last round of revision from other members of the Philadelphia Semantics Society: Ted Fernald and Jack Hoeksema (then a visiting professor at Swarthmore College) when I gave a presentation in Spring 2006. They offered many valuable suggestions and data, which I incorporated into the final version. I am indebted to the three anonymous JEAL reviewers whose comments and suggestions have led to important improvements in this work. Needless to say, all errors remain mine.
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Huang, SZ. Property Theory, Adjectives, and Modification in Chinese. J East Asian Linguist 15, 343–369 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10831-006-9002-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10831-006-9002-0