<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>As far as the left periphery is concerned, there is a conspiracy between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics to ensure the success of sentence formation. We would like to put forth the claim that peripheral features play an important role in this endeavor, which can be checked by either Merge or Move according to the parameter-settings of individual languages. Along this line, topic prominence can be regarded as the result of peripheral feature checking, and the null topic hypothesis à la Huang (1984) is reinvented as a null operator merger to fulfill interface economy in the left periphery. In this regard, Chinese provides substantial evidence from obligatory topicalization in outer affectives, evaluatives, and refutory <italic>wh</italic>-constructions, which applies only when the licensing from a D(efiniteness)-operator is blocked. The idea also extends naturally to the issues concerning pro-drop and bare nominals in general. In this light, we may well compare Chinese obligatory topicalization to those residual cases of verb-second (V2) in English, all being manifestation of the strong uniformity.</p></abstract>

As far as the left periphery is concerned, there is a conspiracy between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics to ensure the success of sentence formation. We would like to put forth the claim that peripheral features play an important role in this endeavor, which can be checked by either Merge or Move according to the parameter-settings of individual languages. Along this line, topic prominence can be regarded as the result of peripheral feature checking, and the null topic hypothesis à la Huang (1984) is reinvented as a null operator merger to fulfill interface economy in the left periphery. In this regard, Chinese provides substantial evidence from obligatory topicalization in outer affectives, evaluatives, and refutory wh-constructions, which applies only when the licensing from a D(efiniteness)-operator is blocked. The idea also extends naturally to the issues concerning pro-drop and bare nominals in general. In this light, we may well compare Chinese obligatory topicalization to those residual cases of verb-second (V2) in English, all being manifestation of the strong uniformity.

A Case of V2 in Chinese

National Tsing Hua University, Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300 Taiwan.

Studies in Chinese Linguistics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

漢語動詞二位現象的個案探討

As far as the left periphery is concerned, there is a conspiracy between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics to ensure the success of sentence formation. We...

A Case of V2 in Chinese

Data publikacji: 30 gru 2015

Zakres stron: 81 - 108

Otrzymano: 09 kwi 2014

Przyjęty: 21 lip 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/scl-2015-0006

Słowa kluczowe
topic prominence, comparative syntax, minimalist program, obligatory topicalization, verb second phenomena

© 2015 Wei-Tien Dylan Tsai, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

A Case of V2 in Chinese

Data publikacji: 30 gru 2015

Zakres stron: 81 - 108

Otrzymano: 09 kwi 2014

Przyjęty: 21 lip 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/scl-2015-0006

Słowa kluczowetopic prominence, comparative syntax, minimalist program, obligatory topicalization, verb second phenomena

© 2015 Wei-Tien Dylan Tsai, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Słowa kluczowe
topic prominence, comparative syntax, minimalist program, obligatory topicalization, verb second phenomena