Syntax of the Bi Comparative Construction in Mandarin Chinese

Syntax of the Bi Comparative Construction in Mandarin Chinese
(103) a. wo-de shu [bi ni-de ___ ] (geng) gui
I-OBL book COM you-OBL more expensive
‘My books are more expensive than yours.’
b. ta [bi ni ___ ] (geng) gao
3sg COM you more tall
‘S/He is taller than you are.’
c. ta [bi ni ___ ] (geng) xihuan shu
3sg COM you more like book
‘S/He likes books more than you do.’
3.3.1 A Default Comparative Degree on the Gradable Predicate/Proposition
Chang (2004) addresses a semantic requirement between adjective predicates
and adverbial modifiers. Chang explains that the structure of scales (Kennedy and
McNally 2002) entailing gradability 14 (Sapir 1944,Bolinger 1972) plays an important
role in grammaticality when adjective predicates and adverbial modifiers co-occur.
According to Sapir (1944) and Bolinger (1972), gradability is a property not just of
adjectives (104), but also of verbs (105), adverbs and even nouns (106). Adverb hen
makes the nouns manifest the property of adjectives and makes both of them become
gradable predicates, however its meaning of ‘very’ is getting blurred in both cases.
(104) a. zhe-duo hua *(hen/feichang) da/xiao
this-CL flower very big/little
‘This flower is *(very) big/ little.’
14 Sapir (1949:123): Every quantifiable, where existent (say “house”) or occurrent (say “run”) or
quality of existent (say “red”) or quality of occurrent (say “gracefully”) is intrinsically gradable.
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中正大學 e-Thesys (94 學年度)