Object Scrambling in Chinese

H. L. Soh, 1998

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This thesis examines the role of prosody and semantics in word order variations in Chinese.  In particular, I address the conrtoversial issue of whether overt object scrambling is available in Chinese.  I argue that overt object scrambling exists in Chinese on the basis of (i) scope evidence, and (ii) the similarities between the distribution of the object in Chinese and object scrambling in Dutch and German.  I show that the distribution of the object in Chinese exhibits prosodic, semantic and discourse information structure effects, similar to object scrambling in Dutch and German (Neeleman and Reinhart, to appear).  I suggest that certain differences between Chinese and Dutch/German in the distribution of the object follow from the different word orders in these languages and how the word orders interact with the possibility of stress shift.  There is evidence from the distribution of the object(s) in serial verb constructions and double complement constructions that the scrambled object occupies a position within the VP.  This study places Chinese among languages such as Dutch and German which allow object scrambling and by doing so, enriches the data base for determining why scrambling occurs.

Thesis supervisor:         Noam Chomsky

Title:                             Institute Professor

Table of Contents

Chapter One    Introduction                                                                                          9

            1          Background                                                                                          9

                        1.1       The distribution of the object in relation to the duration/

                                    frequency phrase                                                                      9

            2          Theoretical assumptions: the Minimalist Program                                    15

                        2.1       Feature checking                                                                      16

                        2.2       "Copy theory" of movement                                                      17

            3          Overview                                                                                             17

Chapter Two    Is there object scrambling in Chinese?                                       31

            1          Introduction                                                                                          31

            2          Cases of object scrambling in Chinese and some possible analyses         32

            3          Scope evidence                                                                                    36

            4          Problems with alternative analyses                                                         40

            5          Why not scrambling?                                                                            44

                        5.1       Previous proposals                                                                   44

                        5.2       Nominal or verbal status for [V DFP DE object] and verbal

                                    status for [V DFP object]                                                         47

            6          Conclusions                                                                                          57

Chapter Three  The distribution of the object in relation to duration/frequency

phrases:  a comparison with object scrambling in Dutch and

German                                                                                                58

            1          Introduction                                                                                          58

            2          Object scrambling in Dutch and German                                                61

                        2.1       Diesing (1992, 1997), Diesing and Jelinek (1995)                     61

                                    2.1.1    Descriptive generalizations                                            61

                                    2.1.2    Account/theory                                                 65

                        2.2       Neeleman and Reinhart (to appear)                                           68

                                    2.2.1    Descriptive generalizations                                            68       

                                    2.2.2    Account/theory                                                 70

                        2.3       van der Does and De Hoop (1998)                                           76

                                    2.3.1    Descriptive generalizations                                            76

                                    2.3.2    Account/theory                                                 80

                        2.4       Points of agreement                                                                  82

            3          Object scrambling in Chinese                                                                84

                        3.1       Scrambling of definite noun phrases                                           85

                        3.2       Scrambling of indefinite noun phrases                            93

                        3.3       Stress and the post-DFP position                                              98

            4          Object scrambling in Chinese and theories of scrambling                        103

                        4.1       Diesing (1992, 1997), Diesing and Jelinek (1995)                     103

                        4.2       Neeleman and Reinhart (to appear)                                           106

                        4.3       van der Does and De Hoop                                                      109

            5          An account of scrambling                                                                      111

                        5.1       Scrambling and stress shift                                                        111

                        5.2       Some differences between Chinese and Dutch scrambling          119

            6          An apparent problem                                                                            125

                        6.1       Cliticization of the bare object: evidence from phonological

                                    phrasing in Hokkien                                                                  125

                        6.2       Dialect A                                                                                  129

                        6.3       Dialect B                                                                                  132

                        6.4       Evidence for cliticization                                                            136

            7          A real problem?                                                                                    137

            8          Some previous analyses                                                                        142

                        8.1       Tang (1990, 1994)                                                                   142

                                    8.1.1    The proposal                                                                142

                                    8.1.2    Some problems                                                            144

                        8.2       Kung (1993)                                                                            146

                                    8.2.1    The proposal                                                                146

                                    8.2.2    Some problems                                                            147

                        8.3       Feng (1995)                                                                             148

                                    8.3.1    The proposal                                                                148

                                    8.3.2    Some problems                                                            151

            9          Conclusions                                                                                          153

Chapter Four    Where is the scrambled object?                                                            154

            1          Introduction                                                                                          154

            2          DFPs in serial verb constructions                                                           157

                        2.1       Serial verb constructions in Chinese                                           157

                        2.2       The distribution of the DFP in serial verb constructions  159

            3          DFPs in double complement constructions                                             165

                        3.1       Double complement constructions in Chinese                 165

                        3.2       The distribution of the DFP in double complement

constructions                                                                            166

3.2.1    Double object constructions: V DP DP             167

3.2.2    Dative constructions: V DP GEI DP                              169

3.2.3    Shift constructions: V GEI DP DP                                 172

                        3.3       Summary                                                                                  175

            4          An analysis                                                                                           175

                        4.1       The structures of double object/shift constructions and

dative constructions                                                                  175

                        4.2       An analysis of the distribution of the duration/frequency

phrase                                                                                      178

4.2.1    Double object and shift constructions                            178

4.2.2    Dative and constructions                                               180

                        4.3       Further support                                                             185

                                    4.3.1    Evidence from scope                                                    185

                                    4.3.2    Evidence from GE "each"                                              187

            5          Structures of double complement constructions in Chinese:

previous analyses                                                                                  192

                        5.1       Aoun and Li (1989)                                                                  193

                                    5.1.1    The proposal                                                                193

                                    5.1.2    Some problems                                                            196

                        5.2       Yang (1991)                                                                             199

                                    5.2.1    The proposal                                                                199

                                    5.2.2    Some problems                                                            200

                        5.3       Kung (1993)                                                                            202

                                    5.3.1    The proposal                                                                202

                                    5.3.2    Some problems                                                            206

            6          Conclusions                                                                                          208

Appendix to Chapter Four:  GE "each" in Chinese                                                         210

            1          Introduction                                                                                          210

            2          Basic properties of GE                                                              211

                        2.1       Licensing conditions of GE                                                        211

                        2.2       Adjunction sites of GE                                                  215

                        2.3       GE-quantification: leftward and rightward                                  219

            3          Apparent cases of GE adjoining to V-bar: a possible analysis     220

            4          Domain                                                                                                225

            5          GE in double complement constructions                                                230

                        5.1       The puzzle                                                                                230

                        5.2       T.H. Lin (1998): a tentative structural analysis                231

                        5.3       Expanding the data: the goal argument and binding                     233

            6          Conclusions                                                                                          239

Chapter Five    Towards a crosslinguistic perspective on Minimal Quantified

Structure Constraint: some notes from Chinese                          240

            1          Introduction                                                                                          240

            2          Background                                                                                          242

                        2.1       Beck (1996a,b)                                                                        242

                        2.2       Cross-linguistic differences                                                        244

                                    2.2.1    Where does MQSC apply?                                          244

                                    2.2.2    What counts as a QUIB in each language?                    246

                        2.3       The typology of QUIBs                                                            248

            3          Beck-effects in Chinese                                                                        251

                        3.1       Duration/frequency phrases as QUIBs                           251

                                    3.1.1    DFPs block wh-movement                                           251

                                    3.1.2    DFPs block QR and movement for focus

association                                                                    253

                        3.2       zhi "only" as a QUIB                                                                 255

                                    3.2.1    zhi "only" blocks QR                                                     255

                                    3.2.2    zhi "only" does not block LF wh-movement                   260

                        3.3       Negation as a QUIB                                                                 263

                                    3.3.1    Negation blocks QR                                                     264

                                    3.3.2    Negation does not block LF wh-movement                   268

                        3.4       Summary                                                                                  270

            4          Why are certain object noun phrases not allowed in the post-DFP

                        position?                                                                                               271

                        4.1       The puzzle                                                                                271

                        4.2       A possible account                                                                   273

            5          Conclusions                                                                                          274

Chapter Six      Conclusions                                                                                          276

            1          Summary                                                                                              276

            2          Implications                                                                                          276

                        2.1       Verb-raising in Chinese                                                 277

                        2.2       Holmberg"s generalization                                                         278