Syntax of the Bi Comparative Construction in Mandarin Chinese
Syntax of the Bi Comparative Construction in Mandarin Chinese
Syntax of the Bi Comparative Construction in Mandarin Chinese
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<strong>Syntax</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bi</strong> <strong>Comparative</strong> <strong>Construction</strong> <strong>in</strong> Mandar<strong>in</strong> Ch<strong>in</strong>ese<br />
degree over <strong>the</strong> second one.<br />
(88) a. [wo shuxue kao-de hao] bi [wo y<strong>in</strong>gwen kao-de hao ]<br />
I Math take exam-PART good COM I English take exam-PART good<br />
‘I did better <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> math exam than <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> English one.’<br />
b. [NP wo j<strong>in</strong>tian shufu] bi [wo zuotian shufu]<br />
I today comfortable COM I yesterday comfortable<br />
‘I feel more comfortable than yesterday.’<br />
In Zhang’s (2004) coord<strong>in</strong>ate structure, <strong>the</strong> syntactic structure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ate<br />
construction is like (89), <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> external conjunct (<strong>the</strong> first conjunct) is a Spec<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ator. It may lack evidence and clues to expla<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> reason why <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong><br />
clause is <strong>the</strong> external conjunct ra<strong>the</strong>r than <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternal one.<br />
(89) (Zhang 2004)<br />
&P<br />
qp<br />
(external conjunct) &’<br />
ei<br />
& (<strong>in</strong>ternal conjunct)<br />
(coord<strong>in</strong>ator)<br />
If bi is a coord<strong>in</strong>ator, <strong>the</strong>n sentence (90) has only mean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> (90); coord<strong>in</strong>ation<br />
do not have ambiguity. However, accord<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tuition <strong>of</strong> most native speakers,<br />
sentence (90) has both mean<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> (i) and (ii).<br />
55<br />
中正大學 e-Thesys (94 學年度)
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