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Coordination versus separation: difference of gapping between Chinese and English and its prosodic attribution

  • Baopeng Ma ORCID logo und Di Zhang EMAIL logo
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 30. August 2023
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Abstract

In this paper, we have analyzed a whole set of data of gapping in Mandarin Chinese from a novel point of view and fleshed out a bi-sentential derivation analysis for the formation of this construction. While taking the canonical gapping in English as a reference, we have explored some idiomatic properties of the relevant structures in Chinese and summarized core differences: the gapping constructions in English follow a strict rule of sentence grammar while those of Chinese have demonstrated kind of inter-sentential effect. We propose that such differences can be attributed to the prosodic factors: The Constraint on Sentential Intonation in Chinese (CSIC for short), firstly proposed in Feng (Feng, Shengli. 2017. Hanyu jufa zhongyin yudiao xianghu zuoyong de yufa xiaoying. ‘On grammatical effects of interactions between intonation, stress and syntax’. Yuyan Jiaoxue yu Yanjiu [Language Teaching and Linguistic Study] (1). 1–15), bans the occurrence of the coordinate [VP & VP] structures, and thus two parallel but separate sentences are used in the contexts where a sentence with VP coordination in English is used. Then, the verb in the second sentence is deleted at PF under the identity condition. Consequently, the gapping structures thus formed demonstrate their own unique properties and are different from the canonical gapping in English. The result of our discussion indicates that prosody can play a role in accounting for language specificities as well as cross-linguistic variations.


Corresponding author: Di Zhang, School of Foreign Language, Linyi University, Middle Section, Shuangling Road, Lanshan Dristrict, Linyi City, 276000, China, E-mail:

Funding source: Humanities and Social Sciences Fund of the Ministry of Education “Morphological Prosody and Its Typologies in Chinese Dialects”

Award Identifier / Grant number: 22YJC740057

Funding source: Youth Innovation Team Development Plan of Colleges and Universities of Shandong Province “Multilingual Language Education and Service Innovation Team”

Award Identifier / Grant number: Z6622002

List of Abbreviations

ASP

aspect

BA

marker of the ba construction

BEI

passive marker “被”

C0

complementizer

CL

classifier

DE

NP modification marker “的”

PRT

particle

T0

tense

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the referee for the pertinent and helpful comments that allow us to improve various aspects of this article. Special thanks go to Editor-in-chief Prof. Harry van der Hulst for his kindness and patience in helping find the reviewers. This research was supported by the Humanities and Social Sciences Fund of the Ministry of Education “Morphological Prosody and Its Typologies in Chinese Dialects” (22YJC740057). The corresponding author was supported by Youth Innovation Team Development Plan of Colleges and Universities of Shandong Province “Multilingual Language Education and Service Innovation Team” (Z6622002).

  1. Research funding: This work was supported by the Humanities and Social Sciences Fund of the Ministry of Education “Morphological Prosody and Its Typologies in Chinese Dialects” (22YJC740057) and Youth Innovation Team Development Plan of Colleges and Universities of Shandong Province “Multilingual Language Education and Service Innovation Team” (Z6622002).

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Published Online: 2023-08-30
Published in Print: 2023-09-26

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