On Subject Specificity and Theory of Syntax-Semantics Interface

This paper distinguishes two types of language, V-to-I type vs. V-to-V type, with a view to deriving two distinct patterns of associating (non-)specific interpretations with subject positions. In the former type, verbs move to a higher functional head, either overtly or covertly, and non-specific nu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of East Asian linguistics Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 129 - 168
Main Author Tsai, Wei-Tien Dylan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kluwer Academic Publishers 01.04.2001
Subjects
Beds
Chinese
Declarative Sentences
English
Grammatical constructions
Linguistic Theory
Modal Verbs
Nominative case
Numerals
Predicates
Predication
Quantification
Semantics
Subject
Syntactics
Syntax
Syntax Semantics Relationship
Verbs
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Summary:This paper distinguishes two types of language, V-to-I type vs. V-to-V type, with a view to deriving two distinct patterns of associating (non-)specific interpretations with subject positions. In the former type, verbs move to a higher functional head, either overtly or covertly, and non-specific numeral indefinites may appear in [Spec, TP] at S-structure. This is the case with English, where cardinal subjects are commonplace. In the latter type, verbs do not move to a higher functional head, and non-specific numeral indefinites cannot appear in [Spec, TP] at S-structure. This is the case with Chinese, where cardinal subjects are relatively rare. Developing the idea that syntax-semantics mapping is cyclic and closely aligned with syntactic predication, we provide a principled account of an asymmetry between Chinese declarative and modal constructions with respect to their subject specificity.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0925-8558
1572-8560
DOI:10.1023/A:1008321327978