INVESTIGATING THE ARGUMENT STRUCTURE OF HAKKA DISPOSAL CONSTRUCTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF DISPOSAL-AFFECTIVE JIONG IN SIXIAN HAKKA
Jui-Yi Zoey Chung/ Xiamen University
This paper examines a syntactic account for the noncanonical disposal jiong-constructions in Sixian Hakka, expressing a remarkable disposal-affective alternation representing two types of argument-introducing strategies. A topography of Sixian Hakka jiong is articulated to empirically account for the semantic interpretation and syntactic distribution of the disposal-affective alternation. Theoretically, two argument licensers are concerned, namely the light verb (v0, Huang 1997; Lin 2001) and the head of an applicative phrase (Appl0; Pylkkänen 2002; McGinnis 2005). Jiong serves as a v0 in the disposal constructions, while jiong functions as an Appl0 to license an extra argument in the affective constructions. This analysis presents an interesting implication from the multiple jiong constructions in favor of a close mapping between the linear order and the syntactic hierarchy. Important to the cross-linguistic comparison, jiong constructions provide a reliable testing ground to explore the argument-introducing strategies manipulated in Mandarin, Hakka, and Taiwan Southern Min, reflecting a consistent syntactic-semantic correspondence.
Key words: disposal, affective, argument structure, comparative syntax, Hakka
cartographic approach
