A root-and-pattern approach to word-formation in Chinese
This paper argues that compounding, the major source of word-formation in
Chinese, and the root-and-pattern system in Hebrew involve fundamentally the same syntactic operations and observe the same
locality constraints, despite the salient differences. More specifically, it addresses the well-known continuum that the coordinate and attributive compounds
behave more like words, whereas resultative and subordinate compounds are much more like phrases. It puts forward the idea that
this continuum can be accounted for by assuming that there is a distinction between word-formation from roots and word-formation
from words, with the former giving rise to more lexical properties and the latter more phrasal properties. The paper also
discusses some related issues, such as the correct formulation of word-level phases and the structure of the major types of
compound words in Chinese.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The continuum of lexicality in Chinese compound words
- 2.1Coordinates
- 2.2Attributive compounds
- 2.3Resultative compounds
- 2.4Subordinate compounds
- 2.5Summary
- 3.Theoretical issues
- 4.The structure of Chinese compounds
- 4.1Coordinate compounds
- 4.2Attributive compounds
- 4.3Resultative compounds
- 4.4Subordinate compounds
- 4.5The continuum of structural properties revisited
- 5.More on phases
- 6.Conclusion
- Notes
-
References
This article is currently available as a sample article.
References
Aikhenvald, Y. A. & Robert, M. W. D.
(
2006)
Grammars in Contact – A Cross-Linguistic Typology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Alexiadou, A. & Terje, L.
(
2017)
The structural configurations of root categorization. In
L. Bauke &
A. Blümel (Eds.),
Labels and Roots: 203–232. Berlin: De Gruyter.
Arad, M.
(
2003)
Locality constraints on the interpretation of roots: the case of Hebrew denominal verbs.
Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 211: 737–778.
Arad, M.
(
2005)
Roots and Patterns: Hebrew Morphosyntax. Dordrecht: Springer.
Baker, M.
(
1989)
Object sharing in serial verb constructions.
Linguistic Inquiry 201: 513–553.
Bisetto, A. & Sergio, S.
(
2005)
The classification of compounds.
Lingue e Linguaggio, 4 (2): 319–332.
Bloomfield, L.
(
1933)
Language. New York: Holt.
Borer, H.
(
1984)
Parametric Syntax. Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
Borer, H.
(
2013)
Taking Form. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Brice, H.
(
2017)
The root and word distinction: an experimental study of Hebrew denominal verbs.
Morphology 271: 159–177.
Cao, C.
(
2016)
Xiandai Hanyu Pianyi Fuci Tanjiu [On Partially-directed Compound Words in Modern Chinese]. MA Thesis, Shanghai Normal University.
Chao, Y.
(
1968)
A Grammar of Spoken Chinese. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
Cheng, G. & Yang, D.
(
2016)
Hanyu dongjieshi fuheci de yuxu ji xiangguan wenti [
Word order in Chinese VV compounds and related issues].
Zhongguo Yuwen 374 (5): 553–567.
Cheng, G. & Zhou, G.
(
2015)
Verb-object compounding in Chinese: A Distributed Morphology approach.
Foreign Language Teaching and Research 471: 163–175.
Chomsky, N.
(
1993)
A minimalist program for linguistic theory. In
K. Hale and
S. J. Keyser (eds.),
The view from Building 20: Essays in linguistics in honor of Sylvain Bromberger: 1-52.
Chomsky, N.
(
1998)
Minimalist Inquiries: The Framework. Ms: MIT.
Chomsky, N.
(
2001)
Derivation by phase. In
M. Kenstowicz (Eds.),
Ken Hale: A Life in Language (pp. 1–52). Cambridge: MIT Press.
Chomsky, N.
(
2004)
Beyond explanatory adequacy. In
A. Belletti (Ed.),
Structures and Beyond (pp. 104–131). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Collins, C.
(
1994)
Topics in Ewe Syntax. Ph. D dissertation, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Collins, C.
(
2002)
Multiple verb movement in ǂHoan.
Linguistic Inquiry 331: 1–29.
Dai, X.
(
1992)
Chinese Morphology and its Interface with the Syntax. Ph.D. dissertation, Columbus: Ohio State University.
De Belder, M.
(
2017)
The root and nothing but the root: primary compounds in Dutch.
Syntax: 1–32.
Dong, X.
(
2009)
Hanyu de jufa yanbian yu cihuihua [
Syntactic change and lexicalization in Chinese].
Zhongguo Yuwen 332 (5): 399–409.
Duanmu, S.
(
1990)
A formal study of syllable, tone, stress and domain in Chinese languages. Ph.D. dissertation. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institution of Technology.
Duanmu, S.
(
1998)
Wordhood in Chinese. In
J. L. Packard (Ed.),
New Approaches to Chinese Word Formation: Morphology, Phonology and the Lexicon in Modern and Ancient Chinese (pp. 135–196). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Embick, D.
(
2004)
On the structure of resultative participles in English.
Linguistic Inquiry 351: 355–392.
Embick, D.
(
2010)
Localism versus Globalism in Morphology and Phonology. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Fan, J.
(
1958)
Xing-ming zuhe jian ‘de’ zi de yufa zuoyong [
The grammatical function of de in adjective-noun constructions],
Zhongguo Yuwen (5): 213–217.
Feng, S.
(
1997)
Hanyu de Yunlv, Cifa yu Jufa [
Prosody, Morphology and Syntax of Chinese]. Beijing: Peking University Press.
Harley, H.
(
2009)
The morphology of nominalizations and the syntax of vP. In
A. Giannakidou &
M. Rathert (Eds.),
Quantification, Definiteness, and Nominalization (pp. 320–342). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Harley, H.
(
2012)
Lexical decomposition in modern generative grammar. In
M. Werning,
W. Hinzen &
E. Machery (Eds.),
The Oxford Handbook of Compositionality (pp. 328–350). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hopper, P. J. & Traugott, E. C.
(
1993)
Grammaticalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Huang, C-T. J.
(
1984)
Phrase structure, lexical integrity, and Chinese compounds.
Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association 19 (2): 53–78.
Huang, C.-T. J.
(
2006)
Resultatives and unaccusatives: a parametric view.
Bulletin of the Chinese Linguistic Society of Japan 2531: 1–43.
Li, H.
(
2016)
Exploration of Syntax-Phonology Interface in Chinese: Perspectives from Phase Theory and Distributed Morphology. Ph.D. dissertation. Luoyang: PLA University of Foreign Languages.
Li, Y.
(
1990)
On V-V compounds in Chinese.
Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 81: 177–207.
Li, Y.
(
1995)
The thematic hierarchy and causativity.
Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 131: 255–282.
Li, J.
(
2012)
Jiyu yuliaoku de dongbin fuheci shuxing kaocha jiqi cihuihua chengdu fenxi [
A corpus-based study of the properties of VO compounds and their lexicalization].
Xiandai Yuwen (10): 42–48.
Lopez, L.
(
2015)
Parallel computation in word-formation.
Linguistic Inquiry 46 (4): 657–701.
Lu, Z.
(
1957)
Hanyu de Goucifa [
Chinese Morphology]. Beijing: Kexue Chubanshe.
Marantz, A.
(
2001)
Words. Unpublished manuscript. Cambridge: MIT.
Marantz, A.
(
2008)
Phases and words. In
S.-H. Choe (Ed.),
Phases in the Theory of Grammar (pp. 191–222). Seoul: Dong In Publisher.
Packard, J. L.
(
2000)
The Morphology of Chinese: A Linguistic and Cognitive Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rubin, A. D.
(
2010)
A Brief Introduction to the Semitic Languages. New Jersey: Gorgias Press.
Shiao, W.
(
2015)
Resultative verb compounds in Mandarin. In
W. S.-Y. Wang &
C. Sun (Eds.),
The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Linguistics (pp. 306–321). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Simpson, A.
(
2001)
Definiteness agreement and the Chinese DP.
Language and Linguistics 21: 125–156.
Thompson, S.
(
1973)
Resultative verb compounds in Mandarin Chinese: A case for lexical rules.
Language 491: 361–379.
Tsai, W-T. D.
(
2003)
Three types of existential quantification in Chinese. In
A. Li &
A. Simpson (Eds.),
Form, Interpretation and Functional Structure: Perspectives from Asian Languages. London: Curzon/Routledge.
William, A.
(
2008)
Word order in resultatives. In
C. Chang &
H. Haynie (Eds.),
Proceedings of WCCFL 26. Berkeley: University of California.
Xiong, Z.
(
2005)
Yi “de” wei hexin de DP jiegou [
A DP structure headed by de
].
Dangdai Yuyanxue 7(2): 148–165.
Xiong, Z.
(
2015)
Yinghan Zhishi Jufa Lunyuan Jiegou de Duibi Yanjiu [
A Contrastive Study of Argument Structures in Causative Construction in English and Chinese]. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Languages Education Press.
Yang, X.
(
2003)
Yusu Lun [
On Morphemes]. Nanjing: Nanjing University Press.
Zhang, N.
(
2007)
Root merger in Chinese compounds.
Studia Linguistica 61(2): 170–184.
Zhou, G. & Cheng, G.
(
2018)
How are VN compounds in Chinese derived? Dangdai Yuyanxue 20 (1): 61–84.
Zhou, J.
(
2005)
Hanyu Cihui Jiegou Lun [
On the Structure of Chinese Words]. Shanghai: Shanghai Cishu Chubanshe.
Zhou, Y.
(
2015)
A Research of the Subject-Predicate Compounds Words in Contemporary Chinese. MA Thesis. Jinan: Shandong University.
Cited by
Cited by 2 other publications
Rokhmah, Luthfiah Nur & Tasya Rahmadona
2022.
analysis of suppletion and word compounding in “Bangle Seller” short story.
LADU: Journal of Languages and Education 2:4
► pp. 143 ff.
Yusuf, Aprilulloh & Shellma Deu Shand
2021.
Compound words implementations in “flowers in the attic” novel by VC Andrews.
LADU: Journal of Languages and Education 2:1
► pp. 23 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 28 march 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.