Partition and Quantity by Jing Jin

Author:Jing Jin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (CAM)

Based on this, Y.-H. Li develops a novel prosody-focus interface account for the use of e in Taiwanese monotonic measurement constructions. She analyzes the employment of e in monotonic measurement constructions as being driven by the need to make the focused MP a single phonological phrase, in contrast with the normal pattern in which the MP is a component part of a phonological phrase (as in [MP-N]). That is, e is inserted to separate the MP and the N, splitting an originally single phonological phrase into two phonological phrases; as a result, the focused MP, a prominent element at the discourse level, attains a prominent status at the prosodic level by virtue of being an independent phonological phrase. Meanwhile, considering e in monotonic measurement constructions to be P(rosodically motivated)-inserted, following Zubizarreta’s (1998) spirit in addressing interface-driven prosodic operations (for example, P(rosodically motivated)-movement), Y.-H. Li claims that the P-insertion of e takes place at a very late stage, namely after all syntactic derivations have been done but the structure has not yet reached PF. The P-insertion of e is subject to a general rule regulating the licensing of P-operation (including P-movement and P-insertion) in that it is a Last Resort strategy, the application of which would be blocked whenever unnecessary.

This analysis suggests an innovative perspective to understand the fact that the e-contained monotonic measurement construction in Taiwanese cannot permit the following head noun to be an empty element. Consider (56):

(56) gua iking tsiah sann pong e kam-a a, i tsiah tsiah tsit pong nia (*e)

I already eat one pound E orange SFP he only eat one pound only E

‘I have already eaten three pounds of oranges; he only ate a pound.’

(from Y.-H. Li, 2013a, (37b))

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