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Object relative clauses in Archaic Chinese

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2016

Edith Aldridge
Edith Aldridge*
Affiliation:
University of Washington
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Abstract

This article proposes that Late Archaic Chinese object relative clauses were reduced relative clauses consisting of a TP dominated by DP. They contained a functional morpheme suo, which attracted an operator to the edge of the vP before moving to T in order to provide T with an [N] feature that could be selected by D. The embedded subject moved to the specifier of the nominalized T, where it valued genitive case with D under Agree. The reduced nature of SUO relative clauses accounts for the fact that a unique strategy was required for relativization on VP-internal positions, as opposed to subject position, since the lack of a CP layer denied the clause a uniform landing site for operators originating internal and external to vP. This analysis also accounts for the loss of the relativization asymmetry by correlating it with the loss of nominalizing morphology such as genitive case.

Résumé

Résumé

Cet article propose que les propositions relatives d’objet en chinois archaïque tardif étaient des propositions réduites qui consistaient en un ST dominé par un SD. Elles contiennent un morphème fonctionnel suo, qui attire un opérateur au bord du vP avant de se déplacer vers T afin de donner à T un trait [N] qui peut être sélectionné par D. Le sujet enchâssé se déplace au specifieur du T substantivé où il a la valeur du cas génitif avec D sous Accord. La nature réduite de propositions relatives SUO rend compte du fait qu’il fallait une stratégie unique pour la relativisation sur les positions internes au SV, par opposition à la position sujet, puisque, en l’absence d’un niveau SC, la proposition n’offrait aucun site d’atterrissage unique pour les opérateurs provenant de l’intérieur et de l’extérieur de SV. Cette analyse rend compte également de la perte de l’asymétrie de relativisation en la corrélant avec la perte de la morphologie nominalisante, telle que le cas génitif.

Keywords

reduced relative clausegenitive subjectdiachronic syntaxChinesesuoproposition relative réduitesujet génitifsyntaxe diachroniquechinoissuo
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique , Volume 58 , Issue 2: The syntax of relative clauses La syntaxe des propositions relatives , July 2013 , pp. 239 - 265
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Linguistic Association 2013

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