Syntax of the Bi Comparative Construction in Mandarin Chinese

Syntax of the Bi Comparative Construction in Mandarin Chinese
b. *ni-de daan hen/feichang dui/cuo
you-OBL answer very correct/wrong
‘Your answer is very correct/wrong.’
c. *wo-de daan bi ni-de geng dui/cuo
I-OBL answer COM yours more correct/wrong
‘My answer is more correct than yours.’
This semantic requirement between adjective predicates and adverbial modifiers
hypothesizes that gradable predicates require a degree modifier that indicates a
relative degree of the predicate, such as implicit comparative degree hen or an explicit
comparative degree geng. In BCC, where the contrastive reading is clearly addressed
by the bi-clause, the degree adverb may be omitted and covert in PF.
What’s more, Liu (2005) proposes that adjective predicates have comparing
event implied, so in Chinese a degree adverb takes over the job which the English
grammatical tense does. A predicate of an unmodified gradable adjective like
expensive in (this pair of socks is expensive) always implies a comparison between the
standard value of comparison. Language must have some grammatical mechanism to
make the comparing event implied possible. In Inflectional languages such as English,
it is grammatical tense that interacts with the gradable adjective to make the
comparison implied possible. As a Non-inflectional language, MC adopts at least
three ways to mark the implied comparison and thus license the predicative
adjectives.
(a) strategy 1: To create and environment where the contrasting reading is possible.
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中正大學 e-Thesys (94 學年度)